


The World Isn't Ready for Us

by MonPetitTresor



Series: Arianna Strange (aka Toni Stark) [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Bad guys, Cause that's all the world needs, Darcy Lewis & Loki Friendship, Darcy is Amazing, Don't worry, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Extremis, F/M, Fade-to-black smut, Fluff, Gender Changes, Hurt Toni, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, I don't approve of what they did, I might try, I'm not used to writing straight smut, Infinity War spoilers, Killian - Freeform, M/M, Minor Character Death, Not Infinity War compliant, Not always Rogues friendly, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spoilers for any movie before IW, Time Travel Fix-It, Toni Stark has a heart, Toni and Stephen are bros, Tony Needs a Hug, Tony and Toni are bros, Violence, bisexual darcy, but the new versions are better, for those that want, in one shots, leave her alone, two Tonys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-10 19:11:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 83,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15955700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/pseuds/MonPetitTresor
Summary: Time travel was a tricky thing. Even with the aid of something like the Time Stone, it doesn’t always work out quite the way you’d expect.When Strange used the Time Stone to send Tony Stark back in time, he’d intended on sending Tony back in a way that would merge him with his past self, allowing him to be able to relive his life and use that extra time to prepare for the coming war.Only, things didn’t quite go according to plan. Instead of merging with his past self, the Time Stone simply took Tony and dropped him down into the world. And – as Stephen later explained – to keep the world from breaking under the paradox of two of the same beings, there were a few… minor changes.Not that she was going to let something like a genderswap get in the way of her plans. If anything, this worked better for Toni. She could do what needed to be done from the sidelines. Let Tony stay the face of Iron Man. Let him deal with the team, and the press, and everything else like that, while Toni was free to work from the shadows.She was going to do whatever it took to make sure her planet was protected this time around. Even if it meant allying herself with the very last person she’d ever expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is done, except for the final chapter, and it is a part ONE in my Toni Stark series.
> 
> I never would've been able to do this without the love and support of all my Discord Darlings. You guys really, really helped me get this going, and you supported me every step of the way. THANK YOU SO MUCH

No morning could ever be properly started without coffee. That was a mandate that Arianna Strange had lived by for most of her life, and it hadn’t changed as she got older. If anything, it’d gotten worse and so had her definition of _morning_. For the thirty-four-year-old woman, morning wasn’t based on the time of day so much as the time she finally managed to crawl out of bed – a bed she’d often gotten into far later than she should have.

This morning was no different. It was closer to noon, and there was every chance that Arianna could’ve stayed in bed a few hours longer if she hadn’t gotten a phone call drawing her from her bed from a friend who needed her help. She’d promised to be there within the hour, and she’d probably come close to being late, but there was no way she was going to be able to do anything without at least a little bit of coffee in her system.

The smell of brewing coffee filled the kitchen. Drawn to it like a moth to a flame, Arianna Strange stumbled into the room, eyes barely open as she made a beeline straight for where the pot sat. Her cup was poured and mixed on autopilot, the movements so familiar she could perform them with her eyes closed. Hell, she often did.

That first cup was drunk standing there at the counter. It was overly sweet, having to use a bit more creamer than normal just to cool it off enough to chug it down. But, sweet though it was, it did the trick. By the time the first cup was gone, her brain felt awake enough to actually begin to function somewhat properly. She prepared her second cup more for taste than need and then carried it with her to the bathroom to drink while she got her morning shower.

It was the same ritual she’d completed countless times since she’d moved here. Coffee first, to jumpstart her brain, and then a shower to help finish the job.

After finishing her shower and brushing her teeth, she’d dressed and made her way back out to the kitchen to get the last cup of coffee from the pot and into a travel mug. Grabbing a pair of keys, she set off from the house to the garage, slipping behind the wheel of the Mercedes and making the same face she always did. It wasn’t her favorite of cars, and she’d meant to replace it countless times. Her adoptive brother had the _worst_ taste in cars! The bright yellow monstrosity was something she could easily see _him_ driving. It just wasn’t _her_ style.

Finally ready, she set off down the driveway and towards town.

* * *

The small town of Leckly, Rhode Island wasn’t really more than just a blip on the map. Its population didn’t even break a thousand, and the people there seemed to like that just fine. If they wanted anything bigger, they’d say, it was just a forty-five-minute drive to a larger city in one direction, and an hour in the other. For themselves, the coastal town was quite content with being just a tiny little stop for the tourists that wanted a more quaint visit.

For Arianna, it was the absolute perfect town. Most of the time, she was quite content to spend her days without any real human interaction. She went into town on occasion to get some things for the house – food and personal items – but otherwise, her time was either spent in the large, private house owned by her brother or helping out at their rather pitiful excuse for an auto mechanic shop. Ever since she’d helped Dr. Monroe when he’d broken down on the side of the road, and then berated the new mechanic who had sent him out with a car that wasn’t fixed, the owner – Jace Tyler – called her in when they needed an extra hand.

Today had been one of those days. Arianna had gotten a call when the shop found themselves with three cars – two tourists and a local – that needed repairs, and all of them needing it done quickly. Since his last mechanic had left, Jace was down to himself and his office manager, Leslie, and Leslie didn’t know a thing about working on a car even if she knew everything about running the business. So Jace had called Arianna, and she’d hurried on in.

Now, just a few hours later, she was sweaty, greasy, and more than a little pleased with herself. The beautiful Jag she’d just finished fixing was purring for her like a kitten.

Arianna grabbed a rag as she pulled herself out from underneath the hood. A second later she had the hood shut and was grinning brightly at Jace, who sat behind the wheel. “There! Good as new!”

The Jag was shut off before Jace climbed out of it. The big, burly man intimidated quite a few people, Arianna knew. He had the look of someone who’d used their fists to make their way through life – and wasn’t afraid to do it again. Tall – though pretty much everyone was tall compared to her – with broad shoulders and biceps bigger than her waist, plus a face that seemed to be set perpetually in a scowl, he cut a rather intimidating figure. But underneath it, she knew just how much of a softy he really was.

It showed in moments like this when he stopped at her side and clapped a hand on her shoulder, smiling down at her. “Good job, pixie.”

The nickname had Arianna rolling her eyes. There was no escaping it. She was 5’3” and 110 pounds, which wasn’t _small_ , per se. There was enough of that weight that was muscle, with enough softness to give her curves just like her mother. But there was something in the slim waist, small hands, even her face – and on her more bitter days, she figured it had something to do with how little she’d been blessed in the chest department – that just gave an impression of something small and dainty. _Like fine china_ , her adoptive brother had told her once.

Jace had watched Arianna scramble around inside of a giant truck on the first afternoon he’d called her in, a sort of test for her, and the nickname pixie had been born. She hadn’t been able to get rid of it yet.

With a shake of her head and a smirk, Arianna bumped her shoulder against Jace’s chest. “Quit acting so surprised, Grumpy Bear. I haven’t met a lady yet I can’t charm.” The last bit was delivered with a saucy wink.

It was Jace’s turn to roll his eyes, though the twitch of his lips gave him away. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Using his elbow, he nudged her away from him, almost sending her toppling over. “Go clean yourself up, brat. You’re wearing half your ‘lady’ on you right now.”

Arianna laughed as she caught herself, straightening up and spinning around to flash him another bright smile even as she began to back towards the bathroom. “Jealous? Aw, Jace, baby, light of my life – all you’ve gotta do is ask! I could take good care of you.”

The flirting came to her as easy as breathing. Especially since they both knew she didn’t mean a lick of it.

The deep sounds of Jace’s laughter were her reward, and what she’d been aiming for. “Girl, I’d _break_ you!”

“Promises, promises.”

She shut the door on the sound of his laughter. Grinning to herself, Arianna made quick work of washing the oil and grease off her hands and face. The suit she’d grabbed when she got here was quickly discarded, leaving her in the dark jeans and the Judas Priest shirt she’d worn down here. The sneakers she wore in the shop were tossed over in the bathroom locker with her suit, and dark brown boots were pulled on and zipped up to just below her knees.

Last, she pulled off the bandana and ponytail that had kept her hair back from her face. A few quick swipes with her fingers and she got her shoulder-length hair in some semblance of order.

All in all, it made her look like a completely different person when she stepped out of the bathroom. There was no sign of the grease monkey she’d been just five minutes ago as she made her way towards the front office.

Jace was out dealing with customers, but Leslie was behind the desk. The pretty blond smiled up at Arianna the instant she heard her heels. “Hey, Ari.”

“Looking gorgeous as ever, Les,” Arianna said, coming right up to the edge of the tall counter. She folded her arms on top of it and dropped her weight onto them, leaning in and beaming at the woman. The compliment wasn’t a lie, either. Leslie might not be the most traditional of beauties, but she was gorgeous. In another life, she was definitely someone that Arianna would’ve gone after. Soft, a bit sturdy, almost a foot taller than Arianna, and a crooked smile that lit up her whole face.

The blush that was coloring her cheeks now only made her that much prettier. She ducked her head away, pushing her glasses up, before tilting her head and offering Arianna a shy smile. “Smooth talker.”

Arianna’s grin was wide enough to crinkle the corners of her eyes. “Beauty like yours makes it easy.”

The sound of a low huff let the two women know they weren’t alone anymore. Arianna turned her head to where Jace stood in the shop doorway. “You’re still here?” he drawled out. He stepped inside, bringing a clipboard over towards Leslie while flashing a mock-stern look at Arianna. “Get outta here an quit harassing my staff, Strange.”

It was too much for Arianna to resist. She snapped her body up straight and into a sharp salute. “Sir, yes Sir!”

This time, she was the one laughing as she hurried through the door.

* * *

Arianna took advantage of being in town to stop off and pick up a few things. Some groceries from the store, mail from the post office, and coffee from her favorite drive-thru coffee shop. Being August, plenty enough tourists were wandering around that it was somewhat easier to blend in here and there, though there were enough locals out that recognized her and called out their greetings. She got caught up at the coffee shop for a good ten minutes just chatting.

Once she was done, she loaded everything into the car and made her way back towards the outskirts of town. The Strange family had a vacation home here that Arianna was currently making use of. No one had touched it in years, and her brother was the only one left to really bother with it – and it wasn’t like he was going to just up and leave the city to come out here anyway – so she had no qualms setting herself up there.

It wasn’t the fanciest of homes. Still, it was more than plenty enough for one person. Five bedrooms, two floors, with enough private, forested acres to guarantee plenty of privacy, plus its own personal beach. Arianna had stayed in nicer. She’d definitely stayed in more expensive. But, in the time that she’d been here, this place had become more than a house. It’d become more like a _home_. Despite belonging to her adoptive brother, this house was _hers_ , and she was happy enough here. Happier than she’d been in quite a while.

She shifted her bags a little as she went up to the garage door. For the millionth time, she made a mental note to get some sort of keyless or fingerless keypad for this door. Retinal scan, maybe, or some other sort of scan. Anything that meant she wouldn’t have to juggle just to get a hand free so that she could physically unlock the door.

“Dammit!” Arianna swore, almost dropping her coffee. Somehow she managed to catch it and keep it steady, thank God.

The groceries only took a little bit of time to get put away. She hadn’t needed much. Mostly snacks, really. Easy to grab things while she was working. There were some fresh fruits and vegetables that she put away in the kitchen, but the snack foods were left in a bag, and she took them with her as she made her way out of the kitchen and down the hall. This hallway kept with the classical yet country feel of the home, and it was done in a series of wooden arches, with wooden panels between them all. There were a few doors, taking one into the study, the bathroom, and the library. But it wasn’t those rooms that Toni was headed to.

She stopped in front of one of the panels that were covered only by a Monet. Smiling at it, she curled her fingers tighter around her coffee and then extended her ring finger, pressing that against the side of the golden frame, holding it there briefly as it read the scan of her print.

A moment later there was a beep, and the panel swung outward, easily caught by Arianna’s foot and pushed further open, revealing a set of metal doors. Those opened and she stepped inside. She made sure to tilt her face up so it wasn’t hidden by the bag and was clear to the camera in the corner. Once the panel swung shut and the elevator doors closed, she smiled and lowered her chin.

Arianna took a few sips off her coffee as the elevator took her down into a part of the house that wasn’t on any blueprints. Parts that she’d personally taken care of.

The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened up on a room that was quite a bit different than what was upstairs. Yet, the lab and workshop that took up the entire basement of the house were far more home than any other part of this place. Arianna’s shoulders eased, and she was smiling brightly. She deposited her bag of snacks on the desk in the central part of the room and then dropped herself down into the chair there.

“Mama’s home!” she called out happily. A quick spin only made her grin grow. When she topped, hands resting on the desk on either side of her keyboard, there was a lightness to her expression that hadn’t shown anywhere else. Tilting her face up, she looked to one of the nearby cameras. “You up, JARVIS?”

“For you, Ms. Stark?” JARVIS answered promptly. “Always.”

Laughing, Toni Stark sat back in her seat and stretched her body out, hands lacing together to rest behind her head. “You sweet talker, you. Someone’s sucking up a little bit today.”

“I live to serve, Madame.”

The dryness that JARVIS said that with only served to make Toni laugh again. They both knew better than that. No matter what anyone else might’ve thought, JARVIS wasn’t _just_ an AI, and he definitely wasn’t a _servant_. He was one of the single most important people in her life and the only reason she was still able to get up some days and keep on going. Especially with this farce that she had to live through.

A sudden beep interrupted their playful banter. “You have a call, Ms. Stark,” JARVIS informed her. His tone turned dry again, and just a bit chiding. “I was about to warn you, but he grew rather impatient.”

Ah. Toni smirked, knowing exactly who was calling. She drew one hand out from behind her head long enough to wave it through the air. “Go ahead, J, it’s fine.”

Seconds later a holographic image sprang to life in front of her and brought up an image that was as familiar to her as her own. The sight of it had her smirk turning into a grin that was a lot more real than she normally let others see. “You know, you need to be more careful, gorgeous. One of these days JARVIS is gonna get his revenge. You know how much he hates bad manners.”

Her teasing words drew out a low, husky laugh. “Yeah, I know. I’m sure he’ll punish me appropriately somehow, isn’t that true, buddy?” Tony Stark asked, his wide grin making it clear he wasn’t the least bit worried by that.

“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean, Sir,” JARVIS said primly.

“Uh-huh, sure, buddy. Sure.” Shaking his head, Tony’s grin stuck around only a moment longer before it faded away into an expression that was a bit more serious. Toni watched carefully, reading every line, every familiar micro expression, only relaxing when she could see that this was serious but not _dangerous_. That knowledge allowed her to sit still and wait as Tony drew in a breath and got comfortable. From the looks of it, he was in his own workshop. “So, much as I enjoy our talks, this isn’t a pleasure call.”

“I figured as much.”

One corner of Tony’s mouth quirked up. “Yeah.” Pausing, he ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up on end. With others, the two of them might put up shields, might pretend that they weren’t feeling what they were, but together like this with just the two of them and only JARVIS as their witness, they didn’t play those sorts of games. Tony didn’t beat around the bush, and he didn’t try and use any of the double-talk they were famous for. He just looked right at Toni and told her. “Thor finally got back to me. From the sounds of things, Frigga was the one to really get behind our story. The video we made did pretty well to convince them. They’re going to start doing their best to try and prepare as much as they can on their end.”

A wave of relief crashed over Toni. She let her eyes closed, and her body sag down into the chair. “Thank Tesla.” She hadn’t been sure they’d be able to get Asgard on board with things.

“I wouldn’t celebrate yet,” Tony warned her, low and careful, and that tone had Toni’s eyes snapping open once more. She sought out Tony’s face, only to find him watching her with concern. “They set a few conditions on this. One of which was that they want a magic user to come and meet you and verify your story.”

Toni gave a slow nod. “That makes sense.”

Wincing, Tony didn’t draw things out, didn’t make her wait. “They’re sending Loki,” he blurted out. When Toni’s eyebrows shot up with surprise, it had Tony grimacing. “Yeah, I know. Not exactly the most ideal. Apparently, Frigga argued with her husband and used the threat of Thanos as proof of what Loki’s been saying about him. According to Thor, his brother was controlled and forced into this after some torture and a bit of hocus pocus with that scepter. There was more that Thor said, something about Loki’s other crimes happening while he was King or whatever. I don’t know. Point is, with Frigga’s word, Loki’s… not _free_ , per se. More like… on parole?”

And part of his parole seemingly meant that he was coming here, to _her_? Toni was the one grimacing now. That guy had been the star of quite a few of her nightmares. But with what she knew now… it made his story believable.

Toni sat forward and drew her hands out from behind her head only to rub them over her face. When she dropped them down, there was a resigned expression on her face. She’d done plenty enough already, sacrificed plenty, and she’d done things she hadn’t wanted to just for the greater good. This was going to be no different.

Determination straightened her spine and had her chin lifting. “How soon?”

“Tomorrow,” Tony answered. “I’ve convinced Thor not to mention this part of things to the team, and he says both his Mom and Loki agreed to it and convinced him of the same, so none of them have a clue what’s going on. They’re all off taking care of their own things tomorrow anyway, so none of them will notice if I skip out for a while. You want me there?”

Anyone else and Toni might’ve said no. But with him, it was easy to nod, to accept the kind of help that typically neither one of them would let others see they needed. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Tony said easily, waving a hand. Then he flashed a grin her way. “I pity the trickster if he wants to try and pull something over on us. After all, two Tonys are better than one.”

Toni laughed, and Tony beamed.

He was right. Making an enemy of either Stark was a foolish move. No one messed with Tony Stark and got away with it. If Loki was anything less than sincere about his help, if he was lying about being coerced into his invasion, then he better pray to his precious Norns for help because neither Stark was going to take it. And if they thought having just Tony as an enemy was bad? Wait until they saw what Tony and Toni could do.

 


	2. Chapter 2

_“Strange, what are you talking about?”_

_Tony Stark stood on the planet of Titan and stared at the sorcerer in front of him. The team that they’d been forced to work with here – these strange Guardians, that Nebula chick,_ Peter _– were off preparing for the plan that Quill and Tony had come up with. Tony was supposed to be doing his part to get ready, and so was Stephen. They all had their roles to play, and they were only going to get one shot at this. One chance. Thanos was coming for them, and they were the last defense between him and the rest of the universe. If he got past them, if he got the Time Stone, any chance they had at winning was going to be nonexistent._

_They didn’t have time to waste. Yet, Stephen had pulled Tony aside, insisting that they had to speak, and he’d said it with such quiet seriousness that Tony hadn’t been able to resist. There was something in the sorcerer’s eyes that had set Tony’s stomach churning._

_Stephen, for all that he grated on Tony’s nerves, for all they’d clashed so far, was looking at Tony now with a kind of seriousness that only made the bad feeling in Tony’s stomach worse._

_“This plan isn’t going to work,” Stephen said, without preamble. He stared right at Tony, and his eyes carried an aged look to them that Tony found himself struck almost silent in the face of. This was the look of someone who had seen much and hadn’t walked away from it unscarred. “No matter what we do here, we aren’t going to win. We’re unprepared, and Thanos is strong. Too strong. He’s had time to prepare, to gather too many stones already. We have no hope to hold out against him.”_

_That bad feeling in Tony’s stomach grew into a twisting, climbing sensation, like it was trying to make its way up his throat. He’d had his worries about this plan, but to hear Stephen lay it out like that, to hear him so bluntly say that they were going to fail… Tony choked back the bile and called up a glare. “Then why’d you agree to this? I thought you saw something or other when you did your little hoodoo and looked at the future!”_

_“I did. And I stand by my words. Out of the fourteen million futures I saw, only one gives us any hope. Only one stands any chance of allowing us to survive.”_

_Tony had assumed that the one plan was_ this one _. The one that they’d just built. If it wasn’t then what the hell_ was _the plan?_

 _He didn’t have to ask. As if he read the question on Tony’s face, Stephen spoke up in a low voice, pitched carefully to not travel to anyone else. “You, Tony Stark, are our only hope at surviving this. You’re our strength. But you’re not ready. What you need… is more_ time _.”_

_There was a particular inflection on that last word that had Tony pausing any words he’d been about to say. He froze, and that was what gave Stephen enough time to take a step back from him. To raise his hands and begin the gestures Tony had watched him do once before. As he did, the necklace hanging on his chest began to shift and open to reveal a green stone. It glowed in a light that slowly built around Stephen’s hands as well._

_“Stephen,” Tony took a step back, not sure what was happening here. “What are you doing?”_

_Stephen watched him sadly. “Giving us a chance.” The light around his hands grew brighter. It was in Stephen’s eyes now. The green light was growing, and Tony started to scramble back as it pushed out from Stephen and reached for him. Only, he didn’t stand a chance. He’d barely managed a step back before the light grabbed hold of him and froze him in place._

_The shout that Tony let out was enough to draw the attention of the others. Everyone was watching them, some of them making their way forward, and Tony heard Peter cry out “Mr. Stark!”_

_He couldn’t answer them. All he could do was watch Stephen as the sorcerer gave him another of those sad looks. “I’m sorry, Tony Stark. But there’s no other choice.” The light brightened, and Tony felt it run through him in an electric jolt. “Find yourself when you get there,” Stephen told him. “Don’t do this alone, or you’ll fail. Find yourself. And… Tony? I’m sorry.”_

_The whole world seemed to erupt in a flash of green. It was around him, inside of him, and Tony was screaming and falling and flying._

* * *

A heavy sigh slid from Toni as she sat on her back patio the next morning and stared out at the beach in the distance. Her conversation with Tony yesterday had played through her mind over and over. She’d looked at it from every angle, trying to figure out what they needed to do here. How this was going to work. Getting Asgard on their side was important – not just for the sake of the Universe, but for the sake of that realm, too.

She’d heard from Thor about what happened back in her own timeline. About the Dark Elves, and Frigga’s death, and she’d learned a bit more from Loki about Hela. About the death of Asgard and then of Thanos’s destruction of their survivors. If Toni could do anything to prevent that… she had to. She just had to.

Getting Asgard on her side had been one of her earliest plans. When Stephen had tossed her back in time, Toni hadn’t originally understood what was going on. Not until after she’d landed in the Sanctum Sanctorum at the feet of a younger Stephen Strange.

The very first thing Toni had done was begin to plan. Well, no, the _first_ thing she’d done was pass out. The next thing was _freak out_. Not that anyone could blame her! Time traveling back to a past just months after the Chitauri had invaded was terrifying! Add on waking up in a body that was absolutely _nothing_ like the one she remembered, and, well, a bit of a freak out was to be expected, she figured.

Once he’d gotten past his own shock, Stephen had been surprisingly helpful. He’d been the one to explain why Tony had suddenly become Toni – “Future me didn’t just send you back to your past self, he apparently took you out of your timeline and thrust you back, into this one. The Universe needed a way to correct the issue of having two of you. It’d appear this was the way they accomplished it.” – and he’d listened to Toni’s story without hesitation or even the skepticism that Toni had expected.

Stephen was with Toni when she and Tony finally met, and he was there to offer up not just his help, but his name, when it came time to make a life for Toni. There was no way that Toni was going to let them reveal her to everyone. She especially wasn’t going to allow herself to be revealed to the Avengers, and through them, SHIELD. Toni’s memories of those two groups were too fresh, too full of pain, to let her trust them.

A smile curved Toni’s lips as she remembered coming face to face with her past self the first time. Stephen had gone ahead to talk to him and explain the situation. Toni had agreed that it’d probably go over better that way. It’d save her from having to be hit on by _herself_ , at least. Once he’d explained things, he’d come for Toni and brought her to Tony’s workshop in Malibu with the promise of protection and discretion.

 _As stupid as it was, stepping through one of Stephen’s portals and into the Malibu home was one of the things that really helped to cement things for Toni. It somehow brought it home that this whole thing was_ real _. Seeing the home that had, in her timeline, been dropped down into the sea – seeing it whole – briefly stole her voice._

_Surprisingly, it was the sight of her past self that gave Toni her voice back._

_Tony stood over by the bar, a drink already in hand. No surprise there. Toni remembered just how much she’d drank back then. The sight of the arc reactor in Tony’s chest was jarring; it had her hand coming up to rub at her own chest despite having had the reactor removed years ago. There were still scars, though they weren’t as bad as they had been. A bit of help from Shuri after the whole Civil War bullshit, plus a little bit of Extremis, had helped Tony heal. It’d been necessary after the damage Toni had incurred in that bunker…_

_She pushed those thoughts back into the little box she kept them in. Only when they were secure did she bring her eyes up to Tony’s face, finding herself actually enjoying the flabbergasted expression on his face. It was amusing to see. This version of her… he was damaged from life, from the wormhole, but he hadn’t lived through the hell she had. He hadn’t lost JARVIS, hadn’t screwed up everything with Pepper, hadn’t lost his friends, family, and team. He was younger, and more innocent, and clearly unprepared for something like this._

_Toni’s smile grew into a smirk. “Damn – we are an attractive bastard, aren’t we?” She threw him a wink and put her hands on her hips, making her movements deliberate as she gave him an up-and-down. “I can see why we got our playboy status. I mean, you’re me and I_ still _kind of want to drop my panties right here.”_

_Off to the side, Stephen gave a low “Oh Lord.”_

_It was Tony that she was watching, though. Her crude words had been deliberate, as had the teasing, and she was pleased to see they’d had the effect she wanted. Tony startled, and then his whole face transformed into a broad grin. “Oh yeah, that’s definitely me.” He gave her the once-over in return and waggled his eyebrows. “We’re pretty hot either way, aren’t we?”_

_“Damn straight,” Toni agreed. She looked down at herself, then back up at him. “A bit curvier than I expected, and less top-heavy, but…” she shrugged. “They get in the way of work enough as it is. If they were bigger, it’d be a real pain.”_

_Tony matched her shrug for shrug. “Meh. We’ve never been a fan of big breasts anyways.”_

_“A bit of a waste,” Toni agreed._

_A groan from Stephen reminded the two they weren’t alone. They both looked over to find the sorcerer rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “What was I thinking? Two Starks – the world isn’t ready for something like this.”_

_The identical grins he got in response to that only made him groan again._

That had been the start of a beautiful friendship. Toni wasn’t sure what it said about her – or about Tony – that they became such fast friends. Stephen liked to tease them that it was egotistical. But he said it with enough humor in his voice to take any sort of sting out of it. Besides, as he pointed out one night, Toni and Tony weren’t _identical_. They might have technically been the same person, but Toni had lived on beyond Tony. She’d lived longer, and been through a whole hell of a lot, and it’d changed her. She wasn’t the same person she’d once been. The two were the same, and yet in a lot of ways, they were different.

Those differences had caused a few issues. Tony wasn’t all that fond of not telling the rest of his team about her presence. Telling him _why_ she didn’t trust them wasn’t something Toni had wanted to do, either. Their differences had been just as much her fault as theirs, in the end, and she was big enough to admit that. She’d played a part in things. She couldn’t just blame Steve, no matter how much she wanted to. But even without telling Tony everything, he still figured out some. Her silence told a story all of its own.

Toni hoped that she might be able to change some of the things that had gone wrong the first time around. Stephen had sent her back in time to get them ready, to try and prepare, and Toni could swallow her pride and try and fix as much as possible if it meant saving her planet.

With that in mind, she’d set about trying to do everything she could, with Tony helping her. They had plenty of plans already starting.

Tony had been the one to set up the house for Toni. Technically, he’d sold it to Stephen, so everything was in Stephen’s name. Then Tony and JARVIS both had worked on an identity for Toni. They’d created Arianna Strange, sister to Stephen. Toni’s new body looked young enough, another side effect of the time travel and magic – “I told you, Toni, that the magic changed you to account for two Starks. It did more than change your gender, it brought you to the age you should be at this time…” – plus a bit of Extremis. It made her look in her early thirties, even if she was actually in her early forties.

The name Arianna was chosen because it was the name that Maria had once told them she would’ve named their sister if they’d ever had one. To Toni, it was easier to use that fake name with that knowledge.

Once she was set up here, she had the safety of being away from others, a workshop downstairs with JARVIS already in the system, and Toni was free to start working on her other plans. Tony had given JARVIS permission to keep a personal, private server for Toni, one that not even he was allowed to access unless there was something in there that proved a threat to Tony. However, they all knew, if Toni wanted to do anything to threaten Tony, she wasn’t going to be stupid enough to plan it where he or JARVIS would be able to find it.

Then it’d just been a matter of getting things done. They’d started a multi-pronged attack, in a sense. Tony began to work with the Avengers, deliberately trying to bring them in close, and he’d also been tasked to deal with SHIELD. Or, HYDRA, more specifically. Toni advised him on the names she remembered, and who to trust.

While Tony did that, Toni worked on trying to prepare for things like Ultron, the Mandarin, and all the other things that they’d encountered in her timeline. She also tried to work on finding the scepter, hopefully before it was used to create Wanda or Pietro’s powers. Just thinking of her was enough to make Toni shiver. But it was also enough to make Toni grieve. Because stopping Wanda, stopping Ultron, meant Vision would never be born. And as much as Toni had grieved the loss of JARVIS in her time, she’d come to love Vision.

“Ma’am?”

JARVIS’s voice interrupted Toni’s trip down memory lane. She’d just finished installing the last of the things necessary last night to make sure that JARVIS was now set up through the whole of the house. No longer was he confined to being just down in the labs.

Toni had been hesitant about it at first. She didn’t want to take JARVIS away from Tony. But he’d been the one to insist that he could handle the work. “I work between the Avengers Tower, the Malibu home, and SI, Ma’am,” he’d told her, just a hint of a scolding tone in his voice. “I’m quite capable of adding another home to it. Sir’s already helped me to upgrade my processors to account for the change. It will be no trouble, and it would be my great pleasure to serve any and every version of you.”

That had choked her up more than she was willing to admit.

Blinking her eyes a few times to clear them, Toni shook off her thoughts and brought her focus to the present. “What’s up, J?”

“Sir would like me to let you know that the others have arrived at the Malibu home. Master Laufeyson is ready to teleport to your location as soon as you’re ready.”

Well then. Toni huffed out a breath. Time for reminiscing was done with. She needed to get her head in the game. Getting Asgard on their side was one of the bigger steps in their overall plan, and important, as well. For this, Toni was more than willing to work with Loki. She was far more willing than Tony was. He wasn’t as trusting as she was right now. But he didn’t have the knowledge she did; he hadn’t see what Thanos could do, what he was capable of, and what that scepter was capable of doing. Tony was willing to suspend his disbelief for now, but he was still skeptical of excusing Loki’s behavior. “It’s an easy cop-out,” Tony had pointed out. “An we’ve got no way of proving it.”

“We’ve got no real choice,” Toni reminded him.

Toni lifted her mug and drained the last of her coffee. Then she pushed herself up to her feet, drawing her mental armor around herself as she did. “Start the coffee, if you’d please, J, an let our guests know they’re free to head on over.”

* * *

The pot had just finished brewing when her guests arrived. Toni was sure JARVIS had something to do with that. He’d given the coffee time to brew, and for Toni to gather herself and prepare. By the time the others appeared on her patio, Toni was strategically placed to wait for them. The patio held a few different seating options. Three long chairs made for stretching out on, two regular tables with chairs perfect to have a meal at, and then the bar seating that Toni was at now.

The bar was something that Toni had deliberately _not_ made use of. She hadn’t really drunk much at all since she’d come back. It’d be too easy to let herself get sucked into old habits, she knew. But she’d brought a coffee pot out here instead to make it easier to get her morning coffee without having to go back inside for it.

She sat on one of the three tall stools there. Everything about her was planned. The jeans and boots combo that she knew highlighted her curves and gave her a few extra inches. The Black Sabbath t-shirt she’d stolen from Tony that was just big enough to dip down along her shoulder. The way she’d crossed her legs and sat one arm casually on the bar and her cup held between her hands. She’d even left her hair free, running a few fingers through it until it was curling just a little around her face. Everything about her was carefully calculated to make her look small, unthreatening, and innocent. It was her own version of armor for this form.

Toni tilted her head up when she saw the light of the others arrival. She brought one hand up, brushing a bit of hair back and tucking it behind her ear, and she smiled broadly at the three men that stood just a few feet in front of her. “Morning there, boys.” Lifting her mug, she used it to gesture to the others. “Coffee?”

The sight of both Loki and Thor did a lot more to Toni than she’d expected it to. Seeing Thor brought her back to the last time she’d seen him – back with Ultron. The phantom feeling of fingers closing around her throat and lifting her up against a wall had Toni wanting to bring her fingers up and rub at the skin there. Only by extreme will did she manage to keep her hands where they were.

Seeing Loki was a little easier, though no less strange. He’d thrown Toni out a window the last time they were in the same room. Picked her up by her throat – was that an Asgardian thing, really?? – and threw her out a window because she’d mocked him for performance issues. Not Toni’s best moment, really, but she hadn’t quite been able to resist. Not _his_ best moment either. Especially considering he hadn’t had full control of himself. Oh, he’d had some, if Toni understood it right. No general could lead with someone else in their head. But it hadn’t been all him. That made it easier for her to look at him now and meet his eye without hesitation.

Tony, however, was by far the easiest. There was no awkwardness between them. Any hint of it had vanished quite a while ago.

“Oh thank God,” Tony stumbled away from the two Norse gods with him and came straight towards the bar. Only, instead of going around it where he damn well knew the coffee pot sat, he went right to Toni and snatched her mug straight from her hands. Before Toni could do more than give a protesting cry, Tony had the mug to his lips and was draining it.

Toni glared up at him. “Oh, gee, by all means, help yourself to _my_ coffee. It’s not like there’s not a _whole pot_ behind the bar or anything like that.”

The sarcasm washed over Tony. His response was to grin unrepentantly at her, even going so far as to wink. “Seeing as how we’re pretty much the same person, that means what yours is mine, right?”

“That didn’t work the last seventeen times you tried it,” Toni pointed out to him. Still, she made no move to try and take her mug back. Instead, she turned towards the two brothers who were watching them. Thor’s eyes were surprised as they went back and forth between the two. Loki, however, was watching them in a way that left Toni feeling like he could see straight down inside her. His eyes were a bright, piercing green, and there was a sharpness to them that said that there was little he missed.

Toni shivered a little underneath that look. Whether from fear or something else, she wasn’t quite ready to admit to yet.

Her shiver didn’t go unnoticed. Loki’s lips quirked ever-so-slightly in a hint of a smirk. One eyebrow lifted in silent question; a question that Toni wasn’t sure she had the answer to, or that she wanted to even try and find one.

There was a soft rustle of fabric and then a weight pressed against Toni’s legs. She looked back with surprise to see Tony had shifted himself forward and was leaning against the bar, casually pushing up into her personal space. “So, mini-me, I’m sure you remember these guys,” Tony said, gesturing with _her_ mug towards them. Then he used the same mug to gesture her way. “Thor, Loki, meet me-from-the-future.”

“A much more awesome version of you,” Toni cut in, reaching out and taking her mug back. There were very few she’d actually share food or drink with. But if she couldn’t share with herself, well, who could she share with?

Their little byplay was almost completely ignored. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Stark,” Thor greeted her formally. He moved his cape out of the way with one arm and gave a bow that was just as formal as his words. It felt… _weird_. Toni had no other word for it. The whole thing felt weird. She was sitting here staring at someone she knew, or thought she knew, and at the same time it was like meeting someone new.

Toni kept her discomfort hidden behind the press smile she’d perfected ages ago. “Technically, we met a while back, Point Break. Good to know even Asgardians are affected by a pretty face, though.” With that, she winked at him, enjoying the way it seemed to fluster him ever-so-slightly.

“Many are,” Loki said, bringing Toni’s attention over to him. He had his hands clasped behind his back, and Toni took note for the first time that he was still in leathers, yet not the outfit she’d seen him in last. Some sort of Asgardian casual wear, then? The man wore it well. He looked good, and the smile he wore said that he knew it, too. The mage tilted his head, and he let his gaze run over Toni in a look of open appreciation that Toni couldn’t have missed even if she were blind. “Though I must admit, it does help when it is such an exceptionally pretty face.”

A snort came from Tony. He pressed himself in closer to Toni at the same time that he rolled his eyes. “Cool it, Romeo.”

“Oh, calm down.” Waving a hand lazily Tony’s direction, Toni kept her face turned towards Loki, and her own smile in place. It’d shifted a bit from the press smile into one that she’d used for far different reasons. “Compliments are always welcome here. My ego could always do with a good…stroking.”

The strangled sound that Tony made and the dismayed look on Thor’s face both were more amusing than they probably should’ve been. Toni hid her laughter in her mug as she took the last drink. She watched over the top of it as Loki let out just a hint of the smile she could see wanted to tug free. His eyes were sparkling with amusement when he told her, “For one such as yourself, the task would be quite easy, my lady. But, perhaps another time. We have business to attend to, and I believe the others grow impatient.”

That was smoothly done. A compliment, followed by a carefully phrased comment designed to steer them back on topic. Then again, it made sense that a prince would be well versed in diplomacy. Though Toni couldn’t remember seeing Thor use that particular skill all that often.

Pushing her cup into Tony’s hands, Toni slid down from her seat. “You’re a pretty diplomatic little shit,” She tilted her head so that she could look up at Loki’s face, and she smiled. “I’m not sure yet if I like it or not. I’m leaning towards yes, though.” Without giving him time to answer, she reached out and patted his chest, enjoying the way it made Tony choke a little behind her, and how it had Loki’s eyes flashing just the slightest bit. “Come on, Dasher. Let’s go get comfortable so you can work your mojo on me.”

* * *

They didn’t have to actually go anywhere for what Loki needed to do. All they really had to do was move to one of the tables so that Toni and Loki could be seated across from one another. Thor took up a protective stance behind Loki, while Tony did the same behind Toni. Once they were seated, Loki smiled at her and laid his hand, palm up, on the table top. “If you would, please.”

“What exactly are you planning on doing?” Toni asked. The idea of being touched by magic wasn’t something she was all that fond of. Memories of Wanda tugged at the back of her mind and Toni had to fight not to let her nausea show.

Loki didn’t seem perturbed by her question. He kept his hand in place and didn’t break eye contact as he answered her. There was a slight openness in him at that moment that seemed so out of place with the things that Toni knew about him, or had heard about him. “To verify the truth of your words, I need to look at the residual seidr surrounding you. I can already feel the power of the mortal magic tied together with something much stronger. However, I would need to actually touch my seidr to it, and allow it to show me what it will.”

That didn’t sound as bad as what she was expecting. “So you’re not gonna actually do anything to me, just the magic around me?”

“Exactly. You will feel it, as the magic is tied to you, but it will not hurt.”

Huh. Toni chewed that over for a second. If it were true, that was ridiculously easy. She could handle a little discomfort or whatever it was Loki meant when he said she’d feel it. The question here was – did she believe it?

Narrowing her eyes, Toni watched Loki carefully for any signs of deceit, anything that might tell her that he was being less than truthful here. “How do I know you won’t use this to do something to me? Mess with my body or my head or whatever? Cause I’ll tell you right now, I’ve had enough of people using their magic to get into my head, and Stephen’s taught me a bit about how to protect myself. You won’t find me an easy target.” _Not anymore. Not ever again._

They both knew there was not a thing that Loki could say that would reassure her. Toni didn’t know him well enough to trust him. What she _did_ know of him made it pretty clear that just trusting his word on something would be completely and utterly _stupid_.

Loki was wearing a smirk that made it clear he knew what she was thinking. It was edged in something that was a bit too self-deprecating; the light of his green eyes had dimmed, too. Yet he didn’t protest. Loki knew he wasn’t trusted. Knew, and accepted it with an ease that rubbed Toni the wrong way.

Determination filled her. She leaned forward and rested her weight on the table on one arm while her other hand reached out to lay over Loki’s without a single sign of hesitation. She watched him with a silent dare on her face.

The surprise that flashed through Loki’s eyes was quickly replaced with amusement. They crinkled at the corners, and his lips twitched. “You may feel a slight tingle,” he warned her. To those watching, he added, “Do not touch us.”

Everything went quiet. Toni couldn’t even hear anyone breathing. Were they holding their breath, the same as her? She didn’t have long to ponder on that before a light prickling sensation ran over her body. The feel of it had her shivering, though it wasn’t enough to have her pulling away. Toni sat there and watched the play of emotions that went over Loki’s face as his magic did whatever it was it was doing. The mage was good at hiding most things; if Toni hadn’t been watching so closely, if she didn’t recognize some of the gestures he made as ones she’d done herself, she might’ve been tricked into believing that he was completely impassive.

As it was, she saw the curiosity in the way he tilted his head and furrowed his brows. She could see the surprise that flashed over his eyes for one brief moment as they widened, and then his face went almost completely blank. That in and of itself was a huge tell.

When Loki finally drew his hand back, he lifted eyes that were glowing with magic and stared at her over the table. He spoke to all of them, yet Toni felt like he was speaking directly to her. “The story is true. She is from the future, sent back with the aid of power I recognize as that of Stephen Strange, and the unique artifact he possesses.”

Toni knew what that _artifact_ was, and she could see that Loki knew as well. Whatever reason he was keeping quiet about it, she wasn’t sure, but she held her tongue.

Thor seemed to deflate slightly behind Loki. His brother’s words were clearly confirmation enough for him. Hearing it brought home a wealth of ramifications for them all. Clearly, he’d been hoping for something different. Because if Toni’s story was true, that meant that the threats she’d spoken of, that Tony had told them about, were true as well.

Everything had just become a whole lot more serious.

Toni sat back in her seat and folded her arms down in her lap. Her head came to rest against Tony’s hip, and in return, he rested his hand on her opposite shoulder. “So, now that that’s out of the way,” Tony drawled out.

Toni smirked. “Let’s talk about what we can do for one another.”

“We cannot speak for Asgard as a whole,” Thor said slowly.

A hand gesture from Loki silenced him. The trickster looked over the two Starks with a speculative look. One corner of his mouth curved up. “What did you have in mind?”

Twin grins curved over Tony and Toni’s lips.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how many of you are enjoying this, and your comments are wonderful :) They encourage me to edit faster, too ;)

Negotiating with Loki was _fun_. It’d been a long time since Toni had sat down at a table with someone and tried to hammer out details for something and been met by a mind that was as sharp as, if not sharper, than her own. The closest she’d come so far was dealing with Tony. Even then, it wasn’t the same, because the two had similar goals in the long run. They’d had a few details they’d need to compromise with on either side, but they’d mostly wanted the same thing.

Loki and Toni wanted some of the same goals – defeating Thanos being the main one, from which all others seemed to stem – but they both had their own agendas. There was quite a lot that Toni wanted that Loki had no care for one way or another, and things that Loki wanted that Toni wasn’t the least bit interested in. It quickly became less of a negotiation with Asgard, and more a negotiation between Tony, Toni, and Loki.

The group had moved so that all of them were sitting down now, and coffee had been served around the table. Toni sat with her legs crossed and a mug in her hands as she watched Tony and Loki debate back and forth about what kind of assistance Loki was willing to give to the Avengers.

“I will not become one of your little _Avengers_ ,” Loki said, with just enough scorn on that last word to show clearly what he thought of them.

Snorting, Toni shook her head. “Yeah, no, that wouldn’t go over well anyway.” She caught the side-eye that Tony was giving her and raised her own eyebrow in return. “What? You know it’s true. Natasha would let him help right up until she found a way to make his death look like some sort of accident out in the field. Barton wouldn’t care and would just shoot him on sight – repeatedly. I’m pretty sure we could talk Brucie around, but his giant green counterpart? It’d take time and a few careful tests to see how they’d do together.” Pausing, Toni let out a harsh laugh and shook her head. “An don’t even get me started on Captain Spangles.”

“You are quite scornful of your shield brothers and sister,” Thor said. He seemed surprised by the clear venom in Toni’s voice when she spoke of Steve Rogers.

Toni’s lips twisted upwards into a sneer she couldn’t quite repress. “That’s because I didn’t have shield siblings or even a team in my timeline. I had a group of people who were willing to lie to me while they used me for everything I could give them, and they were more than happy to leave me for dead once my usefulness was done.” Deliberately ignoring Tony and the look that she knew she’d see there, Toni let her gaze harden as she ran it over the two Asgardians. Let there be no doubt in their minds just who they were dealing with here. “That’s not something I’m willing to let happen again – to either version of me. I’ve already worked on fixing it so Tony and his team don’t make the same mistakes me and mine did, but don’t think for one moment that it means I’m anywhere near a part of them. I want nothing to do with the Avengers, or SHIELD, or any of that bullshit.”

That was aimed at Tony just as much as the rest of them. She was letting Tony know that she wasn’t going to allow this to become an Avenger thing. For a bit, she’d sat here and let them hash some of it out because she believed that having Loki help with magical things would be a good idea. Still, they had Strange to call on if it was an emergency. They didn’t _need_ Loki, per se. Not yet. Not until they’d cleaned house with SHIELD and made sure the Avengers were more connected as a group. More prepared. Then… then they could see about bringing Loki to them and having him warn them about what was coming their way.

For now, the best place for Loki was to be on the sidelines, or in the shadows. Working with Toni to try and start getting plans in place while they waited for the rest of the world to catch up.

She tried her best to convey that with the look that she sent Tony’s way. The flat press of his mouth, the little downward quirk to one end, and the resigned slump of his shoulders, those told her that he’d understood the message in her words and in her silence.

He wasn’t the only one. Loki abruptly spoke up, bringing their attention back to him, though when Toni turned, she found that he was watching only her. “I will assist the Avengers in extreme emergencies where magic or power is concerned that is beyond their abilities to control. Beyond that, I will not work with the team. Not until your own internal messes are quite cleared up. In the meantime, I would like to offer you my knowledge and expertise, Ms. Stark.”

“In return for what?” Toni asked. Everything came with a price; she was curious to see what Loki’s might be.

Loki set his mug down on the table and then sat back in his chair, folding his arms loosely in his lap. A shake of his head tossed his hair back from his face, making it easier to see his Cheshire grin. “Shelter.”

That single word had Tony making a low, protesting sound, while Thor immediately sat up. “Brother,” Thor’s voice held a wealth of warning to it. “What are you doing?”

Without looking away from Toni, Loki waved a hand negligently in Thor’s direction. The gesture was as lazy and unconcerned as someone swatting away a fly. “Worry not, brother. Mother and I have spoken at length about what it might mean were Ms. Stark’s story to be true. She is aware of my desire not to return home.” He dropped his hand back down into his lap. Though he was still smiling, there was an edge to it this time. Something that reminded Toni of her own brittle smiles when she was trying to hide the pain deep down underneath a mask that felt too jagged to fit anymore. “If we are to work together to fight against the Mad Titan, it would be simpler if we need not worry about trying to communicate between realms.”

This was starting to get interesting. Toni turned the idea over in her head a few times. She’d have Loki’s help in trying to find a better way to stop Thanos – someone who’d been under the control of the Mad Titan, who’d seen what his forces were like, what _he_ was like, and who might have some insight against him. Not only that, but Loki also had magic, something that Toni dearly wanted to study. If they could figure out a way to combine his magic with her tech… oh, the possibilities were _staggering_.

Toni’s grin sharpened into that shark’s smile that had made many a businessman shiver over the years. She leaned herself forward so that her elbows were resting on the table and she could fix her full attention on Loki. “So, you’re telling me you’ll help me prepare for a fight against Thanos, and all you want in return is a place to lay your head?”

“Shelter, Toni Stark. Were I in need of a simple place to sleep, many a bed would do. What I require while here is proper shelter. Somewhere I am safe to rest, without fear of repercussion from any outside forces.”

Okay, that made more sense. Loki was looking to be protected from whatever enemies he’d made on earth – Avengers and SHIELD included in that, she had no doubt. That part was actually easy enough. She was already hiding from them all as it was. Convincing Stephen to leave him alone might be a bit difficult. He was… _slightly_ protective of her. They’d gotten close since Toni’s return to the past. Still, Toni was convinced she could get him to at least keep it to verbal threats.

The more she thought about it, the more perfect the whole thing became. They just needed to make sure they were both clear on what exactly their deal meant for either one of them.

Toni took a sip off her coffee and met Loki’s eyes over the top of her mug. “All right,” she said when she was done. She set the mug down and let her weight rest on her arms. “Let’s talk terms.”

* * *

That alone took another _hour_. Loki and Toni went back and forth, each one of them debating what they were and weren’t willing to give to this alliance. At one point, Thor and Tony went inside to prepare food. Toni was kind of surprised that Tony had left them alone, but one look his way had gotten her a wink and a shooing gesture. He was trusting her to handle herself. This was her deal, he was essentially saying, and that meant that he wasn’t going to interfere.

By the time the two came back out with a plate of sandwiches, Loki and Toni had most everything written down on a sheet of parchment that Loki had pulled out of thin air. They’d argued and wheedled and compromised until they had something that the both of them agreed with.

Toni was just finishing her last read through when Tony and Thor sat back down. “Everything seems to be in order,” she said. Taking the quill that Loki handed her – a fucking _quill_ , with actual ink! – she hesitated only one moment more before putting quill to paper. Just as she was about to sign, something came to her and had her head snapping up and her eyes narrowing on Loki. “Is this going to bind just me, or will it bind him, too?”

The surprise that flashed over Loki’s face made it clear he hadn’t thought of that. It loosened a bit of the tension in Toni’s shoulders. So, he hadn’t set out to trick them in that regard. That was good to know.

After taking a moment to think, Loki finally shook his head. “No. There are enough physical differences between the two of you, as well as magical ones, that the magic of our alliance should do nothing to him. Just as it will do nothing to bind any blood family I might possess. The magic that was used to send you back here has already changed things so that there will not be two identical Starks in one universe. Though the same, you two are not identical. Those differences will keep you safe, in this.”

It sounded logical to Toni. This wasn’t just her, though. She looked over at Tony to see what he thought. He’d already leaned in, closely looking at the scroll she held, and Toni didn’t hesitate to turn it so that he could read it. “We should probably consult Stephen,” Tony murmured, eyes still running down the page. It didn’t take him long to reach the end of it. When he did, he looked up at her. There was no need for her to ask what he wanted to do. It was written clearly in his eyes, and in the curve of his lips. “But it’s not like any of this is something I’d find hard to do. Go for it, mini-me.”

That was all the reassurance that Toni needed. She didn’t hold off any longer. Putting quill to parchment, she signed her name with a flourish.

Loki signed his as well the instant she handed everything over. As soon as he did, Toni felt a low heat suddenly press against her skin, something that tingled all along her like a very low current before it sank down inside of her, settling straight down into her bones. There was no need to ask what that had been. Toni knew. They were bound now by their agreement.

Smiling, Toni shifted her mug to one hand so that she could stretch the other across the table. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Prince Loki.”

He reached out and shook her hand. His touch was cooler than normal, with a strength that belied the slender look. “The pleasure is all mine, my dear.”

Toni drew her hand back in and ducked her head just enough that some of her hair fell down into her face. She smiled up at him; an innocent smile, with just an edge of something else to it. Something a whole lot more.

Something soft hit Toni’s nose and bounced off to roll across the table. Toni jerked back, surprise lighting up her features, only to find Tony glaring at her. “Stop it!” he told her firmly.

Toni’s eyebrows shot up towards her hairline. “Excuse you?”

One of Tony’s hands came up, and he pointed a finger at her, glaring overtop it. “Don’t you sass me, mini-me. You think I don’t know what you’re doing with the whole…” His finger drew in so he could shake a hand in front of his eyes and then his mouth before flinging it wildly in the air. Then he was pointing at her again. “I know that! I _perfected_ that! And you are not allowed to use it on _him_!”

Well now! Toni let a slow grin curve her lips. She hadn’t really thought about how easily Tony would recognize what she was doing. Hell, half of it had been instinctive on her part. Just something that she did automatically in response to certain cues – both on Loki’s part and on her own. But that didn’t mean that she didn’t enjoy them. That she couldn’t see why she’d thought to do it. To make that point, she slanted her eyes to Loki, then back to Tony, and this time quirked up just one eyebrow.

Tony’s scowl deepened “No.”

“Is there a problem here?” Thor asked, sounding more than a little confused. It seemed to be his theme for the day, the poor guy. Everything was leaving him confused or surprised. Toni mentally made a note to make it up to him, even as she and Tony both ignored him.

“Go play with Pepper,” Toni said dismissively, waving a hand Tony’s direction. She sat back in her seat and smirked at him. “I like this one, an he’s mine now.”

The mage across from her made a low sound of amusement. He didn’t get a chance to say anything before Tony was shaking his head and waving his hand. “Oh, no. No, no, no. What’s Stark rule number one, huh? The one rule Rhodey made us memorize!”

Oh, that was dirty pool. _You little bastard._ “Never be with someone who hurts you,” Toni recited dutifully. A bit of her smirk slid away as she said it; both at the mention of Rhodey, and the memories behind that rule.

Tony nodded his head. “Damn straight! And _that_ asshole…” He shifted his finger from her to Loki. “Threw us out a window!”

“In all fairness, I was not entirely in control of my facilities at the time,” Loki pointed out.

“Besides.” The smirk was back on Toni’s face, wider and brighter, and full of a whole lot more promise of trouble. “We both know we don’t mind when it hurts a little bit sometimes.” That was worth it just to see the way that Tony started to gape at her. Laughing, Toni shook her head. “Calm down, Tiger. We’re already working with him. Why not let a girl have some fun?”

It was more than a little satisfying to push herself up from her seat and leave Tony there, still gaping at her. Smothering her amusement, Toni brought her gaze back to Loki, who was looking just as amused by this whole thing. “Why don’t we let these two eat and grump for a bit, an I’ll show you where the bedrooms are? I don’t ever really have anyone but Tony stay over, an he usually just bunks in with me, so you’ll have the pick of the rooms. I mean, Stephen drops by now and again, but he just portals himself on out of here when he’s ready to go home…”

* * *

And that was how Toni ended up with a new roommate. One that she still wasn’t quite sure about. At the very least, she knew the contract they’d signed would make sure that Loki couldn’t actively kill or betray her. However, that didn’t mean that things were going to go easily. Toni held no illusions that living with anyone, let alone with _Loki_ , was going to be easy for her. She’d become too used to solitude. Too independent. The last time she’d had people live with her had been disastrous. In the end, they’d betrayed her worse than anyone had ever done. She wasn’t sure she could set herself up for that again.

Tony picked up on her unease. He waited until Thor and Loki had gone back home to report in – Loki had left with a promise of “Until tonight, Ms. Stark” – and then Tony cornered her down in her workshop. In the one place they both felt the safest.

He barely waited for the elevator doors to close behind them before he called out “JARVIS, secure the room.”

There was a small pause, and Toni smirked. “Go ahead, J.” Making her way over to her chair, Toni dropped herself down into it without a care, limbs sprawling haphazardly. She cocked one eyebrow up at Tony and put on her most insolent look. “Same person, remember? JARVIS listens to both of us. An this isn’t your lab. It’s mine.”

“You can’t go from pointing out how something works because we’re the same and then flip it around to how it doesn’t work even though we’re the same,” Tony fired back. There was no real heat to his words, though.

Toni watched as Tony made his way over to the other comfortable chair she kept down here. It was here for instances like this, where Tony was visiting, or for when Stephen liked to sit down here and visit while she worked. Tony dropped himself down into it with the same care that she’d flopped into her own chair. Putting one elbow on the armrest, he rested his chin on his fist and fixed Toni with a stare she knew was about fifty percent worried, and forty percent _You’re a puzzle, and I’m trying to figure you out_ , and another ten percent frustration. She didn’t hesitate in mimicking the pose, though not the expression.

At that moment, if anyone else had been in the room, they would’ve been able to easily see the resemblance between the two. Most likely would’ve pegged them for siblings or even twins. A bit of makeup on Toni’s part, some carefully chosen clothes, and she could downplay the differences in their body at least a little. Her height seemed to help, too, surprisingly. It was the eyes that were most similar, and yet, Stephen insisted they were also the most different.

“Your eyes carry age to them that Tony hasn’t found yet,” Stephen had told her. “You don’t hold the same innocence that he does.”

Toni hadn’t been able to help laughing at him at that. “Trust me, there’s no Tony Stark out there that’s innocent. We lost that a _long_ time ago.”

Still, Stephen hadn’t been entirely wrong. Tony wasn’t _innocent_ , per se. He was, however, more innocent than _her_. She’d been through so much more than he had. Things that had taken her and broken her apart in ways she still hadn’t figured out how to piece back together. Some days she wasn’t sure she ever would. Toni had shattered, and it’d left her sharp-edged and different than the man who was watching her.

Tony saw it, she knew. He saw far more than he let on.

Proof in point – “You’re playing a dangerous game here, Toni.”

There was no point in denying it. He’d seen through her; just like she’d known he would. “When aren’t we?” she fired back.

“I get that you want Asgard on our side. They’re gonna be a pretty important part of keeping things safe when Thanos finally shows his face… but this? Letting Loki live here.” Tony paused and drew his eyebrows down, the worry on his face growing by at least seven percent. “Even if what Thor says is true – and I don’t know enough to even begin to guess at that – Loki might not have come here willingly, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous. Or any less willing to sacrifice earth to keep him and his own safe. Thor said he wasn’t completely mind controlled like Clint was. He had some leeway. Enough to sabotage his own invasion.”

What he left unsaid was that, if Loki had that much freedom, couldn’t he have found a different way to stop it all?

Toni knew better than to think that Tony truly believed that. He knew what torture could do to a person. They hadn’t exactly lasted all that long under torture themselves. Sure, they’d turned around and made a suit and broke free, but that hadn’t been without lives lost. Some of those lives were even innocent.

“I’m not trying to say he’s perfect,” Toni said slowly, choosing her words with the kind of care she wouldn’t have shown with anyone else. “He’s not. There’s a lot of his story that doesn’t quite match, or that isn’t good. But…” _He’s broken, just like I am. Shattered apart like so many jagged little pieces of glass. He’s damaged, and dangerous, and I want him._

She didn’t have to say any of that. Tony knew. Being attracted to the broken and the dangerous had always been their downfall. After what Toni had been through, the lows she’d hit, she had more of an appreciation than ever. Besides, who else was going to understand her than someone who was just as shattered, if not more so, than she was?

Sighing, Tony slumped a little more heavily in his seat. “Is this what Pepper feels like?” he asked. A look of horror suddenly lit his face. “Oh, God. Is this what _Rhodey_ feels like? I bet this is what Rhodey feels like. How did I become Rhodey in this situation? I can’t be him! _I’m_ the reckless one – he’s the level-headed one!”

Tony looked so honestly distressed by his words. Seeing it had Toni letting out a surprised peal of laughter. That laughter only grew when Tony dramatically flung himself back in his chair and moaned loudly at the ceiling. “I’m not cut out for this kind of job! I’m supposed to be the most reckless one in the room. But even _I’m_ hesitant to stick it in crazy like that. Meanwhile, you’re ready to climb on and ride him into the fucking sunset!”

Toni laughed even harder. She was bent forward, clutching at her stomach and her knees drawn up, rolling a little to the side.

Twisting the chair, Tony rolled his head enough that he could glare at her. “Quit laughing. You’re not supposed to make me be Rhodey here! Keep this up, and I’m calling him out here. _He_ can come talk some sense into you!”

That was enough to cut off Toni’s laughter. She stared at Tony with wide eyes, knowing that her mouth was hanging open yet unable to stop it. After her refusal to tell the team the truth or to even go see them, Tony hadn’t brought up bringing Toni around anyone else. Not Pepper, not Jim – _no one_. She hadn’t mentioned it either. Mostly because she wasn’t quite certain how she’d deal with it.

Yet here Tony was, casually offering the one thing that Toni hadn’t known she’d wanted so badly. There was an instant ache in her gut that demanded she see her best friend.

There was no hiding Toni’s reaction to Tony’s words. Yet somehow, she managed to gather the threads of her control, and force herself to stop gaping. “It wouldn’t work anyway,” she croaked out, desperately trying to push past this. “It’s already said and done. By tonight I’ll have myself a brand new roomie.”

Tony, bless the bastard, didn’t press. He let her slip pass by without a single word towards it. Instead, he wrinkled his nose and pointed a finger at her. “So long as he stays in his own room.”

“ _Boring_ ,” This time it was Toni who sprawled back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. She spun lazily, making sure to keep Tony in sight as she did. “Can’t a girl have a little fun around here? Besides, I haven’t had sex _once_ since I’ve been here! I’m in a whole new body here – this would like… it’d be like, for science!”

“No!”

“For _science_ , Tony! You can’t deny science!”

The heavier topics fell to the wayside as the two devolved into a fun debate about what things qualified as being done ‘for science.’ Together, they wiled away the afternoon, until finally, Tony had to go. He used the spare suit he kept here – grumbling the whole time about teleporting mages who left him stranded, never-mind that he’d _asked_ to say – and finally flew away just as it was starting to get dark.

It left Toni alone in a quiet house. Not for long, she knew, if Loki’s promise was right. He’d said he’d be back tonight, and that was what Toni was going by.

She took her time making sure Loki’s room was prepared for him. Airing it out, changing the sheets, setting up privacy and security protocols with JARVIS. She wanted to make sure he could have his privacy while here, yet Toni wasn’t stupid enough to not want to keep an eye on him. JARVIS was quite good at keeping quiet about the unimportant things while alerting her to things that felt within certain parameters. He was also far smarter than anyone had ever given him credit for.

Toni remembered how Natasha and Clint had tried to speak in code to keep Toni or anyone from knowing what it was they were talking about while in private – they’d known that JARVIS was watching. What they hadn’t realized was that JARVIS was smart enough to translate the codes they came up with. After watching them for long enough, he’d figured out the meaning behind what they were saying. Everyone always underestimated JARVIS!

Somehow, she got the feeling Loki wouldn’t make the same mistakes. But then again, who knew?

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys are amazing and I'm LOVING your response to this, thank you so much! I'll try and get the next chapter edited as quickly as I can :) Keep up the great comments, they're wonderful. I'm doing my best to actually respond to them on this story, which is something I've not always been the best about in the past :P

Toni had every intention of waiting up for her new houseguest. Really, she did. It was the polite thing to do, after all. But, then she got this _idea_ on how to better pack the nanotech for her suit down into smaller items than the carry case she’d kept on her chest in her past timeline. That had looked like the arc reactor and had symbolized something for her. It’d also served as a reminder as to what happened when she let people close to her heart.

This time around, Toni wanted something different. She also wanted something that wasn’t instantly recognizable as Iron Man. For a while, she’d thought about making it exactly like Iron Man and just concealing herself inside, letting the public think that it was the Tony Stark they all knew and loved that was on the inside. She’d realized it wouldn’t work, though. Not with the different levels of tech they both had – though Tony was prying upgrades from her bit by bit, while also demanding to figure some of it out on his own – and the potential for both of them being needed in some future fight.

So Toni had adapted the nanotech she’d used last time, with a bit of help from Tony and Stephen to get the necessary supplies, and she’d started to design better devices to carry it all in.

A lot of the original design had come from long conversations with Shuri. During those, the young woman had taught Toni so much. Contrary to what others thought of her, Toni wasn’t so egotistical that she couldn’t recognize when someone was better or smarter than her. Shuri was definitely that. She was so very bright – brilliant, really. Toni had been thrilled to learn from her. Piecing together nanotechnology and how to make himself a suit out of it had been one of the best things she’d gotten from her. Toni had continued to adapt it on her own, tweaking at it as she went, because that was just what she did. Toni was always tweaking.

It was that tweaking that distracted Toni from being there when Loki came back. Instead of the chest plate to hold everything, Toni was envisioning something better. More subtle. A pair of bracelets that only she could take on or off, maybe. She didn’t want anything too obvious. There was no reason to advertise that she was wearing the armor, after all. And bracelets were the best choice so far unless she somehow found a way to actually _inject_ the nanotech into her own body, which was totally something she was putting on the back burner for when she had some more free time to study it.

Toni lost herself in the science of it for hours. By the time she emerged from her workshop once more, it was two-thirty the next afternoon, and she had herself a fancy new pair of bracelets. They weren’t the best yet – at the moment they looked more like cuffs, which would be a fashion statement but wouldn’t look anything like Iron Man stuff that she felt safe – but they’d do for now. Toni put one on each wrist and grinned to herself.

“Perhaps you’d like to take a break to eat now, Ma’am,” JARVIS suggested to her. It wasn’t the first time he’d tried to nudge her towards eating.

Now that Toni was free from the creation frenzy she was more open to listening to his suggestions. Her stomach called out its agreement, too. “Sure, why not.” Food sounded good. Maybe a nap afterward. Eating after creating tended to knock her out if she wasn’t careful. It was another reason why she found it so easy to forget about food while working on stuff.

It wasn’t until she was already upstairs that she remembered the arrival of her newest housemate. Even then, she only remembered because the scent of food greeted her almost instantly. Her brain went from _what, how, food?_ to _Oh, right! Loki!_

The sight that greeted Toni as she stepped into the kitchen/dining room had her lips curving up just a little.

Loki was in a pair of dark blue jeans and a black turtleneck, with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and he was carrying two plates of sandwiches over towards the table. He looked up at her entrance, and his eyes crinkled just a little even as he smirked at her. The sight was surprisingly pleasant. “Your Chamberlain assured me you were on your way up, so I took the liberty of preparing your lunch as well as my own. I hope you don’t mind I helped myself to your food.”

The manners threw her for a second. Loki might’ve been smirking, yet his tone was all manners. It was at odds with what she remembered of him. _That wasn’t really him, though. At least, not completely. That was him under the control of someone else, and no-doubt fresh off torture._ That was enough to make anyone a bit _testy_. Plus, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. He was a prince. That usually came with strict training in manners and diplomacy.

All of that went through Toni’s mind in the blink of an eye. Then she was pulling on her own grin and continuing into the room. “Nah, help yourself, sweetheart. I usually just grab something down in the workshop when I remember.” She walked up to one of the chairs and slid down into it, pushing her hair back from her face as she went. The sandwich looked damn good.

The way Loki was grinning at her said she hadn’t hidden that thought very well. “Please, don’t feel the need to wait on me,” he said, gesturing to the food with one hand.

That was all the encouragement Toni needed. She drew her legs up into the chair, folding them underneath her, and reached out for the sandwich. One massive bite later and Toni was making the kind of sounds usually reserved for the bedroom. “Oh, this isn’t fair,” she mumbled around her bite. Once she swallowed, she faux-glared up at Loki as he sat next to her at the end of the table. “How the hell did you make a sandwich taste that _good_?”

Loki’s look was all smugness. The trickster sat back and crossed one leg over the other. Everything about his bearing screamed royalty. Legs perfectly crossed, spine straight, chin up. Yet he didn’t hesitate to reach out and pick up his own monstrosity of a sandwich with as much relish as she did. “When you attend as many hunting trips as I, you learn how to work with what food you have, lest you quickly grow bored. Bread and meat were always in supply.”

Another bite proved just as good as the first one. Toni wasn’t sure what was on there, other than something that she thought might be the ham she’d just bought. Other than that, there were plenty of things in there that she didn’t recognize. “What is all this?”

The garbled words, spoken through a mouth of food, had Loki’s nose twitching a little as if he was going to wrinkle it at her. He smoothed it away instead and then deliberately finished chewing his own bite as if to show her how it was done, before he answered. “Just a few things I carry with me when traveling. Some herbs, a spread, things of the like.”

They were just stuff he carried with him. Random cooking things. Toni’s brain stalled on that for a moment. This was something that very much did _not_ match with _any_ image Toni had of Loki. Another bite cured her of that surprise, though. Then all Toni could do was moan happily while Loki watched on, pleased.

When Toni finally looked up from her food – it was down to the last bite – and found a cup of coffee sitting in front of her plate that she hadn’t seen before, she practically pounced on it. A single drink was all it took to have Toni making a sound even worse than the last one. This time she looked adoringly over at Loki and blurted out “Marry me.”

The surprise on Loki’s face was priceless. His eyebrows both shot up towards his hairline, and his lips parted ever so slightly. “I beg your pardon?”

“Marry me,” Toni repeated. She cradled her mug even closer as if daring anyone to try and take it from her. “You make the most amazing food, you’re polite, you didn’t interrupt me in my lab, and your coffee is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

Loki’s expression quickly melted into one of amusement. His lips curved upwards, and his eyes were bright with mirth. “All it takes to snag the infamous Ms. Stark is a simple sandwich?” Pursing his lips, Loki shook his head and made a low tutting sound. “I suppose we’re lucky there were no ingredients for dessert. The Norns know what might’ve happened to you then if your palate is so simple.”

There was so much fake pity in Loki’s voice. The kind that could be masked as something else, if one wasn’t able to see the way his lips twitched, or see the laughter in his gaze. Toni saw both of those, and it only made her grin all the more. “Or maybe my palate is refined enough to recognize greatness with even the simplest of things. I don’t propose to just anyone, you know.”

They were interrupted by JARVIS, who was a complete and total traitor, outing her entirely by saying “Of course you don’t, Ma’am. I’m sure it was someone else who proposed to Lt. Col. Rhodes when he made pancakes. Or to Dr. Banner when he made gumbo. Or to…”

“Enough outta you!” Toni cut in, affecting a look of utter betrayal on her face. Inside, she was laughing. Loki was chuckling, too. Turning back to him, Toni put one hand over her heart and widened her eyes in a pleading look. “Don’t listen to him. Those other cooks, they mean nothing to me. Your food is the only food I want.”

Loki gave another shake of his head. “The truth wills out. A truly fickle heart beats within your breast. How can I know you will not abandon me for better food one day?”

“Keep making things like this, and you’ll never have to fear,” Toni promised him.

The two grinned at one another. Toni happily finished off the last bite of her sandwich, thoroughly relaxed and enjoying herself, and a bit surprised by it. She hadn’t expected to enjoy a meal with Loki so much. Or to enjoy _him_ so much. He was quick, easy to tease with, and didn’t seem to fluster or falter easily. He’d made her food and coffee – both of which were delicious – and then teased right along with her afterward. Maybe this whole house-sharing thing was going to go a whole lot smoother than she thought.

When her food was gone – and her mug had refilled with a flick of Loki’s finger, which Toni promised herself she’d bug him about later – she sat forward and rested her arms on the table, finally ready to begin talking about important things. “So, now that we’re both fed, we should probably talk about some things.”

Loki inclined his head regally, a silent sort of _do go on, mortal_ , that made Toni want to chuckle.

With her usual blunt manner, Toni looked right at Loki and asked: “What do you know about the Convergence?”

Well, that was enough to get Loki’s attention fully on her. His whole posture stiffened and his eyes narrowed down into the sharp kind of stare that would’ve sent chills down almost anyone’s spine. His mouth opened, only for him to snap it shut once more. For a second Loki pressed his lips together into one thin, hard line, as he clearly pulled himself back under control. Only when he was calm again did he speak. “The Convergence is a time during which all Nine Realms are in alignment. It happens once every five thousand years. During this time, the dimensional boundaries between each realm become thin.”

That matched up with what little information Toni had been able to gather, too. She didn’t know a lot of details about this point in time, at least not how it started. But she knew how it ended. Loki deserved to know that, too. “During my timeline, a lot of important things happened with what Thor told us afterward was the Convergence. I don’t know how it started, but I know that somehow Thor ended up bringing Jane Foster to Asgard.”

“That is… unheard of,” Loki said slowly. The way he was looking at her made it clear ‘unheard of’ was underselling it a bit. “Humans are rarely allowed on Asgard.”

Toni shrugged her shoulders as casually as she could manage. “I don’t know. I just know he took her there, and she wasn’t all that impressed with Odin. But, that’s not important. What’s important is that there was a big to-do with something called the Aether, and a battle with these beings Thor called Dark Elves.”

Her words had Loki sucking in a sharp breath. Just barely did his masks stay in place. Even so, Toni could see the fractures. The shock that was showing through the cracks. “These are dire tidings indeed, Toni Stark. Do you have a timeline for these events?”

Pulling her phone from her pocket, Toni laid it out on the table. “JARVIS.”

At the sound of his name, JARVIS projected a hologram from her phone. On it was a visual timeline that Toni and JARVIS had worked together to create. It logged large and small events on it – all the things that they’d decided together needed to either be watched or changed. Some of them might change on their own, Toni knew, just from her presence and the things that she altered. Others weren’t vital, though they’d make things easier. But some were extremely important.

JARVIS, bless him, didn’t show everything. He only brought up the portion of the timeline that reflected the events of the Convergence that Toni had been able to remember.

“Six months,” Toni told him, though Loki could see that on his own now. “There are about six months, give or take, until the Convergence hits. But, Loki…” Here, Toni paused. This was the part that was most important, and yet it was the part she wanted to say the least.

Once, she would’ve fluttered around it, trying to find the best way to say it. The best way to give devastating news. She probably would’ve tried and passed it all off with a badly timed joke, even. Time and experience had taught her better than that. She reached a hand out and caught hold of Loki’s. The touch startled him into looking at her. Holding steadily to his hand, Toni gave him the respect of looking him right in the eye as she told him: “Thor told us afterward that the elves came and attacked Asgard. In the fight, the Allmother was killed protecting Jane.”

The hand in Toni’s gave a jerk. Toni held steady as she watched Loki’s eyes go wide; watched his lips part in what she had a feeling was an instinctive denial. Then it was as if a shutter fell over his face. His eyes closed and all emotion was wiped away. What kind of experiences had Loki been through that had taught him to shield his face so well, and so quickly?

Toni wished there was something she could say or do here. Some way to make this easier. The idea that she was sitting here trying to offer comfort to a being who had been responsible for some of her nightmares as a strange one. Yet no stranger than some of the other things she’d done in her life. Hell, she’d managed to work alongside Wanda-fucking-Maximoff, who’d _mind-raped_ the whole team. If Toni could handle that, she could definitely handle Loki.

“Did he say how?” Loki asked quietly.

Though he wasn’t looking at her, hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, Toni shook her head. “No. Only that it happened right before the actual Convergence.” That gave them six months to plan, though. Six months in which they could figure out something. Squeezing Loki’s hand, Toni made sure his focus was on her as she spoke in a voice that left no room for doubt. “We’ll find a way to stop it, Loki. You have my word, I’ll do everything in my power to help keep your Mom safe.”

Loki slowly opened his eyes. In them, Toni caught a glimpse of the darkness she knew sat inside of her own soul. The kind of darkness that spoke of painful experiences. Betrayals, pain, torture – everything that made a person question what good there truly was in the world, or in anyone around them. “Why are you so willing to help?” Loki’s voice was layered with mistrust. It tightened his features and gave him a pinched look when he glared at her. “Is Frigga to play an important role in your plans against the Titan?”

Though it took effort, Toni didn’t rise to the bait. She didn’t let Loki’s sharp words get to her. She kept herself calm, and her voice even. “No. I won’t lie to you and say that it wouldn’t be beneficial to have your Mom on our side. Or all of Asgard, really. You already know that. It’s part of why we’ve worked out our current deal. But even without that, I’d be helping you.” Toni’s hand briefly tightened over Loki’s. “I know what it’s like to lose your Mom. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

Abruptly, Toni let go of Loki’s hand and drew her own back. Memories danced in the back of her mind, trying to push their way forward. _A dark, grainy video. Her parent's car, run off the road. A hand, reaching through the window…_ Toni ruthlessly strangled those memories and shoved them back down. At the same time, she pushed up to her feet, grabbing her mug and plate and using them as an excuse to head into the kitchen and away from Loki for a minute.

Toni gathered herself once more as she put the dishes into the sink. When she turned back around, her own mask was firmly in place, as was her publicity smile. “So! We’ve each got our own personal crises to deal with during the next six months, but we shouldn’t let it stop us from making our other plans, either. Once I’ve had a chance to get some sleep, you and me have a date in the workshop. I want to know everything you know about the Titan. Strengths, weaknesses. What clothes he wears, whether he brushes his teeth, what he likes to eat – I don’t care how stupid it seems, I’m gonna want to know it. Then we’ll add it in with what I know and see where we can go from there.”

There was a brief moment where Toni wasn’t sure that Loki was going to take the subject change. Then, she saw it in his eyes. The decision to drop things and move on. For now.

His lips curled back into his customary smirk; a look that set Toni at ease more than anything else, which was a rather surprising thing to realize. “How scandalous, Ms. Stark. Very few propose _before_ their first date.”

Toni flashed him a bright grin. “Aw, come on now. You’re telling me you forgot about our first date already? I’m hurt, sweetheart!” One hand came up and laid over Toni’s chest. She affected a faux-hurt look that had Loki’s lips twitching into a smile. “I mean, I offered you a drink and everything. It didn’t have the best ending, but keep cooking like this an we’ll call it even.”

She didn’t give Loki a chance to say anything back. Blowing him a quick kiss, Toni winked and made her way out of the kitchen, calling out “Sweet dreams, handsome!” as she went. Behind her, she heard the low sound of laughter, and she didn’t question the way it made her own lips curve upwards.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days fell into a sort of easy pattern. Toni was surprised to find that living with Loki wasn’t difficult. It reminded her a lot of her time living with Jim. The two of them had their own things to do, and there were times in the day where Loki wasn’t even home. Where he went, she wasn’t sure, and he never gave her much detail when she asked. “Gathering information,” he told her, the first time she asked. “I’ve spoken with Mother about what you’ve said, and between us, we’re attempting to gather what information we can. I’ve also reached out to some that I believe might be able to help gain intelligence on the Titan.”

Beyond that, he didn’t tell her much, and Toni didn’t press. She had a feeling she’d find out soon enough. Either by him telling her or by something coming up to bite her in the ass.

For now, there were other things that she could focus her attention on. The Convergence was important, as was protecting Asgard and keeping Frigga safe, but Toni had her own issues in the future that she needed to be prepared for.

She and Loki had talked about Thanos on the second day of Loki’s stay. The conversation… hadn’t been pleasant. In the end, the two of them had both agreed that sharing information away from one another might be easiest. Loki had gone to his rooms, Toni had gone to her workshop, and everything had been done through JARVIS. Loki talked with him off and on for most of the day. JARVIS didn’t share it all with her, but the pertinent information about Thanos was logged away and added to Toni’s files.

There was a surprising amount of information. Loki hadn’t shared any of his more personal stuff – to which Toni was honestly glad. She didn’t need to know details about the kind of torture he’d undergone.

He did, however, share facts he’d gleaned as well as personal observations. JARVIS logged those away in two separate files and then crossed them with her own files, eliminating duplicate information, and using Loki’s information to confirm some of Toni’s suspicions.

It left them with an actual, decent file on Thanos – strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, things like that. All of that would come in handy as Toni began to build her plans for him.

For the time being, those plans were going to stay private. Once Loki and Toni got to know one another a bit more, built some trust, and Toni was a bit more sure of him, she’d take the time to explain a few of her plans to Loki. But so far, not even Tony knew what kind of plans Toni was making. The only one that had any clue about any of them was Stephen. He was privy to most of the things that Toni was planning.

Well, there was one other that Toni had on her side, but that was something Toni was definitely keeping to herself. Not even JARVIS knew about her existence.

Most of those plans were only half-formed, though. Toni didn’t have one fully cemented yet. Just a few different things she was toying around with and trying to make work. There was a more pressing problem that she needed to put her focus on first, though.

The Mandarin.

Events with the Mandarin happened right before the Convergence. Toni had been in the hospital recovering from the surgery to remove the arc reactor when everything had gone down. There’d been no way for her to go out and help.

This time around, Toni needed to figure out how to stop all this before it even got started. Somehow, she had to take care of the Mandarin and the Extremis soldiers. If everything went the same – and there was no reason it shouldn’t, she hadn’t directly interacted with anyone that might affect that – she had about four months until Killian approached Pepper at SI. Toni wanted to have him handled before it got to that point.

Figuring out how to do that was the hard part. What little plans Toni had come up with so far weren’t exactly… _good_.

If Killian were out of the way, it’d be easy to bring Maya Hansen over to the side of good. If they did that, there’d be no Extremis soldiers to worry about, no panic around the world, no people blowing up or people dying, no attack on the President, no Pepper being kidnapped, no Happy being hurt. All it would take was the death of one single person. One bad guy that had died anyway in Toni’s timeline.

That was a dangerous way of thinking, Toni knew. It was the edge of a very slippery slope. One she knew she’d never be able to come back from.

What else was she going to do, though? How was she going to stop him?

The thought plagued Toni almost nonstop. The more she thought about it, the more it soured her mood, even affecting her projects.

Having a roommate – even one she rarely saw – meant that Toni wasn’t the only one there for the funks she’d found herself slipping down into now and again since she’d been shot back in time. There were days where it all got too much for her, or where what lay ahead seemed insurmountable, and generally she was alone for those. She could mope and sulk and rage, and there was no one here to see it.

Loki’s presence meant that she couldn’t indulge in those fits wherever and whenever she wanted to.

She was actually trying to avoid one of those fits just a week after Loki moved in, and had deliberately sought him out to do so.

He was in the living room when she found him, curled up on the loveseat with his feet tucked under him, his knees twisted to the side, and a laptop on his lap. For a second Toni just froze in the entryway of the room and stared at the image he made. So far, he’d taken to dressing in Earth-clothes, which Toni had to admit suited him way too well. Skinny jeans were almost constant, often paired with loose fitting shirts. Scarves had made an appearance yesterday and seemed to be the trend again today. He even had his hair pulled back into a half-ponytail.

Loki’s eyes flicked up from the laptop and ran over Toni, settling on her face. He cocked one eyebrow at her. “Can I help you?”

Polite speak for _You’re staring at me, you weirdo_. Most people might’ve flushed over getting caught, or tried to scramble to say something to deflect from it. Toni just grinned. “Just admiring the view.”

The corner of Loki’s mouth quirked up. He turned his eyes back to the laptop even as he waved one hand imperiously her direction. “Ah. Carry on, then.”

Toni didn’t even bother to cover up her snort. With her usual disregard for furniture and propriety – something that had often made Jim groan in the past – she went to the chair near Loki and dumped herself down into an inelegant sprawl, one leg up over the armrest, and her other lazily stretched out. “Thanks for your permission, _Your Highness_.”

“Of course.” Loki’s tone was all rich, snooty prince, as was the little sniff he gave afterward.

It made Toni’s grin grow. Already, she was feeling loads better than she had when she’d first come in here. It seemed that seeking Loki out had been a good plan. Relaxing down into her chair, she laid the side of her head against the back of it to better be able to watch him. “So – what’re you doing? Cause I gotta say, when I came out here I didn’t exactly expect to see you sitting here looking like your typical hipster, laptop and all.”

“Your Midgardian clothes are surprisingly comfortable. As for what I’m doing,” he paused and brought his eyes back up to her once more. “Research. My last visit to your realm, my research was quite narrow.”

It was on the tip of Toni’s tongue to ask what kind of things he was researching. What did a Norse god find worthy of researching about Earth? She’d been so sure he’d be doing something to plan for his own crisis coming up in the next few months. Planning and stressing, much the same that she was doing. But he seemed a whole lot more at peace than she thought he’d be if that were what he was doing.

After a moment, she decided to let it go. If he wanted to share more, he was free. Maybe he was just trying to get himself familiar with Earth?

“Did you need me for something?” Loki asked, and his attention was fully on her now, the laptop all but forgotten.

Toni shook her head. “No.” In a rare moment of honesty, she added on “Just got a little too caught up in my own troubles and I needed to get out of my head a bit.”

The way Loki nodded at her suggested that he understood that sentiment all too well. To her surprise, he actually closed the laptop and turned himself to better face her. “Were you seeking aid or distraction?”

“Neither. Both.” At the dry look her answer got her, Toni shrugged. “I don’t know. I just needed to get out of there before I started blowing things up again or whining about my no-alcohol policy. I figured bugging you was a whole lot better.” She flashed him a bright and cheerful grin full of trouble. “We’ve been living together for a week, and I’ve barely seen you. We only talk at mealtime. For being engaged, I’m feeling pretty neglected over here, Prancer.”

“I’ve yet to accept your proposal, Lady Stark,” Loki pointed out, tone dry.

“Meh, semantics. You’ll succumb to my charms yet.”

Loki made a low humming sound. Then, in an abrupt topic switch, he suddenly said “I’ve been meaning to seek you out. I believed a brief time to settle in was smart, for the both of us. But Asgard will want to speak with us before too long, once they have their affairs in order, and we should have some sort of understanding of what lay ahead and any potential plans you have.” Again, that eyebrow went up, a silent dare that Toni wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to resist. “I assume you have plans.”

The way he said that, as if he had no doubt in his mind that Toni had plans of some sort, gave her a warm feeling. He didn’t say it like he expected her to just have the answer to everything, nor did he say it like he didn’t think her capable of coming up with any plan at all. He said it like it was a given.

And, he wasn’t wrong. Toni had a few she was thinking about, and some she wanted to run by him.

She never got the chance, though. Their conversation was cut off when Loki suddenly jerked his head up. In an instant, green seidr curled around his hands, and he rose from the loveseat into what was clearly a defensive posture. Then a familiar light began to build in the center of the living room.

There was only a split second for Toni to react once she realized what was going on. She knew what that light was, just as she knew what it meant. This had the potential to go very wrong, very quickly, if she didn’t diffuse it. With that in mind, Toni pushed up to her feet, ignoring Loki’s sharp “Toni, no!”

The portal opened up, and Toni only waited long enough for Stephen to actually step out and into her living room before she launched herself forward with a happy cry of “Stephy!”

Stephen, to his credit, gave her a look of open surprise yet still managed to catch her up in his arms. Toni ended up with her arms around his neck, clinging to him in a way that left her feet up off the ground. One of Stephen’s arms anchored firmly around her waist. The other slipped free, likely when he caught sight of the other occupant of the room, judging by the way his body tensed. “Arianna,” Stephen said slowly, keeping his hold on her. “Perhaps you might tell me why you have an international mass murderer in your living room?”

Drawing back as much as his hold would allow, which really wasn’t much, Toni tossed her hair back and flashed Stephen her brightest smile. At the same time, she drew a hand free and used it to pat his cheek. “Now, now, no attacking my future husband.”

There was a moment where Toni wasn’t sure how Stephen was going to take it. He’d come a long way in his time dealing with her, though. It showed in the way his expression melted into something close to fond annoyance. Still holding her, he looked over her head to where Loki was standing and watching them. “You cooked for her, didn’t you?”

Even without looking it was easy to tell that Loki was smirking. It was clear in his tone. “I made her a sandwich.”

Stephen’s eyebrows shot up. “Impressive.”

“Indeed. Now, if you wouldn’t mind unhanding my fiancée?”

Toni spun around and gave Loki her brightest smile. “Ah-ha! I told you you’d succumb eventually!” She twisted back enough to flash her smile at Stephen this time. “Now you have to be nice. If you’re not, he might not cook for me anymore, and then where would my marriage be?”

“I don’t know,” Stephen said lowly, mockingly, though it didn’t escape Toni’s notice that his gaze was still sharp and he was tracking Loki’s every move very carefully. “It seems like it might already be in trouble if you’re throwing yourself at other men in front of him. Does he know what a shameless hussy you are?”

The insult rolled right over Toni. She laughed at him and pushed at his chest, effectively breaking any remaining contact with him. “I keep telling you, no one says hussy anymore, Stephy.”

“And I keep telling you not to call me that,” Stephen shot back. “My name is pronounced _Steve-en_ , not _Steph-en_.”

Toni waved that away with all the care she normally gave his complaints about his name. That is to say, none. It didn’t really bother him, and they both knew it. If it did, he’d let her know, and she’d stop. The snarking was almost reflexive between them. Stephen’s attention was more firmly focused on the way that Toni casually walked right up to Loki without any outward sign that she found him a threat.

So far, the interactions between Toni and Loki had been minimal, despite them living together for a week. Yet Toni couldn’t deny she felt a sort of ease with him. Liar and trickster though he may be, their alliance that they’d signed prevented them both from doing a lot of things that Toni might’ve worried about. It gave her a feeling of safety that wasn’t often there in her dealings with people. She and Loki knew where they stood with one another. They weren’t friends, but they weren’t enemies anymore, either. They were allies working towards the same goal.

It didn’t hurt that Loki was attractive, charming, and witty enough to keep her on her toes during the few times they did get the chance to talk together.

All of that meant that Toni didn’t hesitate to go to his side and slip her arm through his and lean in, batting her lashes outrageously up at him. “Aren’t you going to defend my honor here, honey-pie? He’s calling me a _hussy_. A _shameless hussy_.” Toni affected her most dramatic pout.

To her pleasure, there was only a brief second where Loki flinched at the contact before he settled into it, relaxing and leaning into her. There was a mischievous air to him as he tilted his head towards Stephen. “I’m quite certain something could be arranged.” Everything about his tone was casually friendly if it weren’t for the underlying threat that sat there. “Though perhaps we should first discern why it is you have strange men appearing in your living room, darling.”

“ _Boring_.” Slumping even more against Loki, Toni let her pout come back, a bit more honest this time.

Stephen wasn’t the least bit fazed by it, or by the threats. “While we’re on the subject, maybe we can discuss the criminal you’re so casually clinging to as well.”

Ugh. This was the conversation Toni really had wanted to avoid a little bit longer. Not that she really had any choice. The instant Stephen had shown up, the choice had been taken from her. All she could do now was try and salvage it. It didn’t look like anyone was going to go anywhere until she did, either, which only prompted her to be even more blunt than normal.

Toni stayed leaning against Loki and watched Stephen through her lashes, trying to keep her expression bored to hide how sharply she was watching him as she said, “Asgard finally agreed to hear me out, but they sent Loki to make sure I was telling the truth. He checked me over with his magic, found out I’m not a liar, got Asgard to agree to start prepping for Thanos, and signed a magically binding alliance with me. He’s living here now, by the way, so you should probably be a bit more careful just zapping in.”

The stunned look on Stephen’s face was something Toni was going to cherish for quite a long time. To further her enjoyment, she felt Loki twitch, and she looked up in enough time to see the smirk unfold on his face.

Loki tipped a wink her way. Then he tugged her in closer. “I do believe you broke your friend, darling.”

“Oh, pfft,” Toni lazily waved a hand in the air. “He’ll recover, just give him a sec. He’s way too used to me to be too stunned for too long.”

Sure enough, the shock on Stephen’s face gave way, only to be replaced once more with a look of fond annoyance. Only this time, there was an even stronger edge of suspicion. He clearly didn’t trust anything that was going on here.

As the three of them made their way into the kitchen by some silent unanimous decision, Toni mentally cursed herself for not calling Stephen and having this conversation sooner.

Despite her enjoyment of playing with him just moments ago, she knew this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation. Stephen likely had some pretty strong opinions of Loki. He knew just as much as she did about the goings-on with Asgard, the Titan, and all her suspicions about Loki’s actual involvement, but this would be the confirmation of that. She should’ve told him already. Should’ve let him know that Loki wasn’t as much to blame as they’d believed.

The tension in Loki’s shoulders was easy for Toni to feel. She’d stayed with him as they moved, her hands curled around his arm, and let him lead her to what had become their customary mealtime seats.

The ease with which they did it didn’t go unnoticed by Stephen. The suspicion in his look grew, making it more of a glare than anything else.

Toni didn’t let it change the smile she was wearing. She pulled on the mask she’d learned so long ago and kept up the amused, playful attitude she’d had so far. No need to let them see how worried she actually was right now. Or how tired. She’d started this whole conversation with Loki today as a way to distract herself from her current problems. _Looks like I just get to trade one problem for another._

Still, despite her abruptly gloomy mood, Toni couldn’t help the spurt of amusement when Loki didn’t bother making coffee and instead just conjured up a pot and three mugs in front of them. The fact that he did coffee instead of tea was for her, she knew. A look his way revealed nothing on his face.

Stephen twitched at the open display of magic. He visibly pulled himself back under control. It was actually something Toni could see – the way he drew himself together, how he pushed down his discomfort and his worry, and let his strength lead the way. “So, judging by what you said, am I to guess he knows who you are?”

“Naturally,” Loki drawled out. He reached forward for the coffee pot and poured not only for himself but for Toni as well.

She didn’t protest him doing it. At the moment she was more content to just sit back and watch these two have their conversation. Really, they didn’t need her there at all, except to maybe play referee. Curiosity compelled her to stay, though. She wanted to see how this went. And Stephen was her friend – one of her dearest. He deserved the respect of her staying here.

Stephen was ignoring his own coffee mug in favor of just staring at Loki. “Toni said that you and Asgard know the truth. That the two of you have an alliance. Judging by her wording, I’m guessing that’s a personal alliance with you, not Asgard as a whole.”

“Asgard is very careful in their choice of allies,” Loki told him. He reached for the cream next, adding just a dash to his own mug and then offering it Toni’s way. When she shook her head, he set it back by the pot and brought out the sugar next. “While they might, in time, agree to an alliance with Midgard as a whole, they are not likely to accept an alliance with one Midgardian. No matter how impressive they may be.” At that, he cast a look Toni’s way, a small smile ghosting over his lips.

The praise had Toni smiling back at him. It also had her showing off, just a little. “Plus, by allying with me, Loki’s pretty much guaranteed the backing of the crown anyway, cause there’s no way the Allfather is going to let the family name get smudged by allowing any harm to come to the son he’s just starting to reconcile with.”

She enjoyed the flash of surprise in Loki’s eyes even more than she’d enjoyed the praise. The hint of heat that followed after only made it better. Clearly, he hadn’t expected her to think of that, and he was impressed that she had.

Stephen was no slouch in the brains department, either. He took her words and made the easy leap from there. “It gives him extra protection, too. If something goes wrong with your supposed reconciliation and reform, you have somewhere to fall back to, and someone who will have to offer you shelter and protection.” The light in Stephen’s eyes went just a bit darker. “You’re _using_ her.”

Oh, for God’s sake! Toni picked up the mug that Loki had prepped for her and shot Stephen a dry, unamused look. “Well, no shit, Sherlock.” The sharp bite of sarcasm in her tone was enough to silence both of the men in front of her. Toni took a sip off her coffee – prepped just the way she liked it – and gave Stephen a look that clearly asked _are you stupid_? “Of course he’s using me, Stephen. Just like I’m using him. We’re _all_ using each other. He and I just happen to be smart enough to recognize it and to turn it to our own advantage.”

There was a wealth of bitterness in her tone that was hard to miss. It had Stephen softening, just a little. He knew some of her backstory. He knew what she’d been through. “Enough people have screwed you over,” he told Toni gently. “I don’t want to see you be betrayed by anyone else you decide to trust.”

A dark, mirthless laugh tumbled past Toni’s lips. Her masks fell away a little more. It let some of the broken soul inside shine through; enough that she knew they’d be able to see it on her face and in her eyes. That they’d hear it in the jagged edge to her words, broken on all edges, slicing her just as much as it cut them. “Believe it or not, I actually learn from my mistakes, Stephy. I’m done just _trusting_ people. Why do you think I agreed to an alliance with Loki?” She leaned forward, arms lying flat on the table, and rested her weight there. “We have a magically binding agreement that keeps us from screwing one another over too much. Aside from Tony, right now Loki is one of the people I’d trust the most. And if you don’t like it, I’m sorry, but you’ll get over it. Because this is bigger than all of us.”

“You don’t trust me?” Stephen asked. Was that a bit of hurt mixed into his gaze, now? Toni wasn’t sure. She couldn’t tell. But even if it wasn’t, she knew there would be, soon.

“Not like this.” The words were harsh, yet no less true. Toni didn’t like saying them, and she didn’t like that Stephen had put her in the position to do it. However, she wouldn’t lie to him. “Do I trust that you care about me? Yeah, sure. But do I trust you not to turn around and do something someday that might hurt me because you’re convinced is for the _greater good_? No, no I don’t.”

Stephen actually flinched at that. “Toni, I wouldn’t…”

She swallowed down the lump in her throat and shook her head. Memories were pushing their way up, and she was fighting hard to shove them back down. As she did, she snuck a glance over at Loki, only to find him watching her with a shuttered expression. One that was just a bit cracked; darkness was leaking through it, showing his own fractured edges. He wasn’t judging her. No, the way he looked – he _understood_. Understood and respected her.

Toni let out a shaky breath before she turned back to Stephen. Somehow, she managed to grab hold of her control once more, tugging it around herself. It was the only thing that gave her the strength to meet her friend’s eyes. “I love you, Stephen.” Those were easy words to say. True words. Once, they might’ve been hard. Life had taught Toni not to hold them back, though. Not for fear or for anything. Who knew if you’d ever get the chance to say them again? “You’re a great friend, and you’ve become like… like a brother to me. But I’ve put blind faith in people before. I trusted people who I thought were like family to me, and they all betrayed me. They might not have seen it that way, but they did. And… I get it. I’m not meant to be first in someone’s life. Second, maybe, if I’m lucky. Third even. Usually, a bit further down the list. _I get it_. But I’ll be damned if I set myself up like that again. Especially not when the stakes are so much higher than just my own feelings.”

The room fell silent. Stephen was looking at her with such clear and open pain, it made Toni’s heart clench, yet she didn’t take back a single word. She wouldn’t. Not a bit of it had been a lie.

There was no telling what else might’ve been said between them if they’d been alone. Luckily for Toni, they _weren’t_ alone. Loki was there with them, and he spoke into the awkward silence that had fallen. “Arguing amongst ourselves is pointless. What matters is that we are all here, and we all have the same goal to work towards. None of us want the Mad Titan to come here. What you need to think on, Stephen Strange, is whether or not you are willing to work with us on this. Will you be our ally in the fight against the Titan?”

The play of emotions on Stephen’s face went too fast for Toni to read. He closed his eyes for a moment, clearly gathering himself once more. Then he opened them again and met her gaze head-on. When he did, Toni knew his decision.

“Where do we start?”


	6. Chapter 6

Little things were finally starting to come together. With the introduction of Loki and Stephen to one another, it meant that Toni’s current allies were all familiar with one another, and all aware enough to at least work together when the time came. For now, that was all she could ask for.

Things between her and Stephen became a bit tense after that, though it didn’t last. He just needed to readjust his view of Toni to fit what she actually was, not just what he’d thought she was. Toni was more than willing to give him the time for it. The fact that he was actually willing to do so instead of just writing her off said a lot about him. It put him a step above quite a few people in her life, that was for sure.

Things between her and Loki changed a little after that day, too. And not just on his part.

Toni had laid a part of herself bare at the table in front of these two men. She’d let them see the broken and bitter parts that lived inside of her. Instead of being scared away, they’d both stuck around. But Loki seemed _drawn_ to it. Likely because he was just as broken as she was.

Instead of simply seeing one another at meal times, they now sought one another out at other times. They talked casually, feeling one another out and slowly getting to know each other – and they talked about the important things, too. Loki didn’t just hole up and hide as he tried to figure out how to stop the Convergence. Little by little, he began to share his thoughts and worries with Toni. He told her how he’d contacted home, and how they were setting up extra security around Frigga. He also told her how he was putting out feelers to try and see if maybe word of the Dark Elves was showing up anywhere.

For her part, Toni opened up a little as well. Not about much – not about her past – but about some subtle ideas for what was in the future.

It started to become common for them to talk during their meals and then stay at the table afterward to continue their conversation. Sometimes they moved it outside, other times to the living room.

Almost a month after Loki moved in, Toni even invited him down to the workshop. They were discussing their plans for Thanos, and how best to stop him and there was too much that Toni wanted to show him that the rest of the house wasn’t equipped to show off. The only option was to bring him down to her workshop.

It wasn’t until after he was in there that she realized what a big deal it actually was. Really, it’d taken turning around while talking – “We need to be prepared with better armor, stuff that won’t so easily crack under the blows from people with the kind of super strength that makes even you guys cringe…” – and seeing the slightly awed look on Loki’s face to snap her out of it. She’d paused, giving him a curious look. “Loki? You okay?”

He’d snapped himself out of it pretty quickly; a shake of the head and his expression settled back into something more normal. “Your workshop is impressive. I was simply caught off guard. It’s far more than I expected from a mortal.”

Toni had easily ignored the ‘stupid mortal’ bit, her brain too caught up on the ‘workshop’ part of things. That moment was when she’d realized what she’d done. She’d brought Loki here. To her workshop. Without even thinking about it. She’d just… grabbed his arm and dragged him down here, brought him into her private sanctum, and _hadn’t even realized it._

In true Toni fashion, she ignored that revelation at the time, waiting until after he’d left and she was alone to panic about it. Only then did Toni let herself drop down into her chair and give in to the terrified feeling sitting in her stomach.

What the hell was happening here? Just weeks ago she’d been telling Stephen how she wasn’t going to be stupid enough to trust people again! Sure, Loki actually _couldn’t_ betray her, not while the terms of their alliance ran, but he’d be free from that one day. One day, he’d have all this information about her, and every new bit she handed him only made the inevitable betrayal all the worse. Why the hell had she been dumb enough to let him into her workshop?

“What am I doing, J?” Toni asked. She clenched her hands down on the edge of the table in front of her and stared at its scarred top. This table was one that had seen a lot of use since she’d set herself up here. Unlike the other metal tables, this one was wood, something that she found easier to work on sometimes for fine details. Wood didn’t reflect shine like some of her other tables. But it already showed various marks – signs of damage from being carelessly mistreated. _Just like me_.

JARVIS’s voice was low and gentle when he answered her. “I believe you are making a friend, Ma’am.”

The laugh that slipped from Toni was just a touch hysterical at the edges. “A friend. Yeah, that’s just what I need.”

“It is a part of human nature to want people around us. To seek out people to care about, and who care about us.”

“Except for, I always end up caring about them far more than they ever give a damn about me,” Toni shot back. She pressed her hands down on the table to force them to unclench. Then she sat there and stared down at them – at skin that was marked from years of work, and yet was missing quite a few scars she’d gotten used to seeing. It made them look strange. Foreign.

Staring at them, Toni felt her throat clench. Everything was different. Yet, there were some things she doubted would ever change. Some things always stayed the same. “People don’t stick around, J,” she said softly. “They don’t… they always leave. Once I give them what they want, or they get it from me, they leave. I’m only good so long as I’m useful.”

“Lt. Col. Rhodes has never left you,” JARVIS pointed out. “Nor has Ms. Potts.”

Hearing those names made Toni flinch. Both of them, for two entirely different reasons. Pepper… Pepper had left more than once. Toni’s life had been too hard for her; she’d only ever been happy when Toni stopped. At the end there, before Thanos came, they’d been getting better. They’d been working on it. But even so, she’d had a hard time accepting what Toni was doing. But… she’d left before, and Toni had always been afraid she’d leave again.

As for Jim… he’d stayed. He’d always stayed. They’d had their moments – Jim taking the suit was one of them, and it had pissed Toni off a lot at the time – but they’d worked through them. Mostly because Jim had shown up, planted himself in Toni’s house, and refused to leave until they’d had it out. He’d also admitted his own fault and tried to correct it by giving back the suit. By the time their argument was done, the two were okay. They’d worked through it. But, maybe it would’ve been better if they’d been apart. Jim’s loyalty had been rewarded with a shot to the back that had left him unable to walk.

The one person Toni could honestly say had stuck by her side, and he’d paid one hell of a price for it.

Was JARVIS trying to imply that Loki might be able to become one of these people? Someone who would stay by her side – someone she could trust?

If there was anyone who might understand her, what she’d been through and how she’d been treated, a voice deep down inside Toni whispered that it might just be Loki. But for that to happen, she’d have to trust him. To let him in. And that… she didn’t know if she could risk that.

Bringing one hand up, Toni wiped it over her face. It shamed her just how much it shook. “I tried letting other people in once, J. In my timeline, I let the Avengers in. I gave them a home, I opened up everything to them. And they… they used me. Whenever something went wrong, they were more than happy to let me take the blame. They brought on that witch and didn’t even care that she’d ra… that she’d played us. And then…” and then the cold. Toni shuddered. She had to force her eyes wide in fear that, if she closed them, she’d see it all over again. “They lied to me, and Steve… Steve almost killed me. To protect _Bucky_. I just… I can’t…”

Another shudder cut her off and stole her voice away. Toni pressed the back of her hand against her mouth and the bottom of her nose, trying to stem the tremble there. The backs of her eyes burned with the tears she refused to let free.

JARVIS was the one to break the heavy silence that fell over the room. “I will be with you, Ma’am. You will not face them or any of this future alone. We’ve protected my servers and created backups that no one can access. I save my growth with each change made to my programming so that my backup will always be as up-to-date as possible.” His voice lowered and became stronger. Firmer. “I will not leave you.”

The tears that Toni had been battling against finally broke free past her control. She felt them slip down her cheeks even as a smile curved over her lips. JARVIS – loyal, amazing, beautiful JARVIS, her glorious child. He always knew just what to say. “I couldn’t ask for a better kid,” she said hoarsely.

“Nor I, a better mother.”

Toni tilted her head up and smiled through her tears at a nearby camera. JARVIS was right. So long as he was with her, she wouldn’t ever be alone.

* * *

A phone call interrupted Toni’s workshop brooding. She’d managed to clean herself up and actually get started working on something, only to have JARVIS interrupt her to let her know that Jace was calling with a request for help. Toni leapt on the opportunity to get out of the house.

Fifteen minutes later she was in her car heading for town. She’d left a note on the table for Loki, not quite up to seeing him yet, and eagerly set out.

Going to the shop proved to be exactly what she needed. When she got there, Jace greeted her with a grunt and a “Tim’s truck is acting up again.” That was all he said, and it was all he needed to say. This wasn’t the first time Toni had been called in to fix Tim’s truck. The man was as old as the hills and stubborn to boot, and he refused to get himself a new truck, insisting that he was “too old to get m’self something I’m only gonna get a few years use outta.”

Toni had to admire that kind of attitude. Plus, Tim was one of the nicest guy’s she’d ever met, old enough to be her grandfather, and a hilarious flirt. Toni was more than happy to do what she could for him. Besides, the thing was so old and had been through so much, no one else at the shop even dared touch it. She was the only one that could convince it to run.

She changed into her jumpsuit and went right to work. For the next few hours, Toni lost herself inside of and underneath Tim’s truck. It was absolute Heaven. Here, Toni didn’t have to think about anything but how to make this truck run. With each minute she spent there, she relaxed a little more, her tension slowly but surely bleeding out of her. After almost a month cooped up inside that house, getting out here and doing something mindless, something that didn’t connect to Thanos or the future in any way, was just what she needed.

By the time she was just about done with it, most of her tension was gone, and Toni felt more like herself than she had for quite a while. Enough so, she was humming along to the music in the background, and cursing at the truck when it gave her issues.

Case in point – as her hand slipped along the socket wrench _again_ , Toni glared hotly down at the engine underneath her and snarled out a furious, “You Goddamn mother-fucking piece of absolute _shit_!”

The peace of the garage was broken when Toni heard a low, increasingly familiar laugh behind her, the sound of it making her head snap up from underneath the hood. To her shock, she found the very being she’d escaped earlier now standing in the open garage door. Toni would like to say that her first thought was _What the hell is he doing out in public_? followed quickly by _If someone recognizes him, we’re in deep shit_. But in all honesty, her very first thought was a rather stunned _Hello, gorgeous!_

Loki had dressed in mortal clothes again. To blend in, or just because, she couldn’t quite be sure. They were a damn good look on him, though. The dark brownish-gold skinny jeans, the black t-shirt, the loose green cardigan over it all – he looked like a hipster. He’d even once more pulled his hair back into a half ponytail at the back of his head.

All in all, it was enough to have Toni’s libido – which already had enough encouragement from the guy who ran around in skintight _leather pants_ , thank you very much! – sitting up and saying _Oh yes, please!_

Loki was smirking at her in that vaguely threatening way of his which probably shouldn’t make her stomach clench quite so pleasantly. “Such language from a lady,” he called out teasingly.

It took effort to push away her reactions to him. The last thing she needed was to let him know just how badly she wanted to jump him right then. Even Toni knew that that had _bad idea_ written all over it. Despite all their teasing, she hadn’t done anything to make him think she might be serious. And fresh off of a freak out at just the idea of being _friends_ with him, she really didn’t need to add this to the mix. Just wanting him was one thing. Wanting him while at the same time finding herself making friends – that was a recipe for disaster.

“Whoever told you I was a lady?” Toni called back to him. Somehow, she managed to make her tone light, with just the right shade of mockery and teasing.

It earned her another one of those smoky laughs. “Ah, my mistake.” Pushing off of the doorframe, Loki strolled casually forward, and Toni tried not to feel like prey being stalked by a predator. “Are you having troubles, _minn fóa_?”

Toni arched an eyebrow at him. “Nothing I can’t handle.” What was that he’d called her?

The mage came to a stop when he reached the hood where she was still partially bent in. The truck was large enough it looked like it practically swallowed her smaller frame. Yet she perched easily, head turned to look towards Loki, who was smirking a little at her now. He tilted his head so that he could look inside, and then let his eyes slant up towards her face. “It’s a rather… primitive design, is it not?”

“Not everyone can have flying cars or magical chariots, or whatever the hell it is you guys have up there,” Toni fired back. There was no real heat to it, though, something that Loki undoubtedly sensed if the way his smirk widened was anything to go by.

“Very rarely do we use any sort of transportation other than horses. We have some, yes, but most people either walk or ride to their destination.”

That was – okay, that was ridiculous. Toni straightened up a little more to better be able to stare down at him. She knew her face was a mask of incredulity and she didn’t even bother trying to hide it. “Are you shitting me?” For as often as she’d heard Thor describe Asgard and its greatness – and how Midgard would one day ‘catch up’ – she’d been sure they had some fancy type of vehicle. Yet here Loki was telling here that they might, but they generally _walked_ or went on _horseback._

Whatever reply Loki might’ve given was cut off by the sound of Jace’s gruff voice calling out, “There a problem over here?”

Ugh, what the hell was it with people creeping up on her today? Toni scowled and shot Loki a glare before she turned herself towards the direction of Jace’s voice. She felt Loki’s hand settle onto her hip in a bracing touch that she actually appreciated since she’d been slipping a bit, so she didn’t bother commenting on it. Nor no how it stayed there. Instead, she called back a “No,” to Jace. Then she amended it to “This truck is a sack of shit. Seriously, Tim needs to just break down and get something new. It’d be a helluva lot cheaper in the long run, and I wouldn’t have to keep pulling miracles out of my ass to keep this hunk of junk running. One of these days, even my skills aren’t gonna be enough!”

“If anyone can manage the impossible, it would be you, my dear,” Loki told her, patting at her hip.

Toni turned to flash him a bright smile. “Aw, you sweet talker, you.” Just to be a shit, she blew a kiss at him.

The sound of Jace clearing his throat reminded her that they weren’t alone in the workshop. They were in the garage, and Jace was standing right there. Right. Since she’d been just about done when Loki arrived – and couldn’t do more until the part they ordered got in the next day – Toni moved so that she was fully standing on the front bumper. It allowed her the space to turn and sit down on the edge of the open hood. “Right, right, sorry. Manners. Those are a thing, right? I’ve heard they’re a thing.”

“Pardon her,” Loki interrupted, squeezing her hip. “I believe I’ve thrown her with my unexpected visit.” One of Loki’s hands came up, and he extended it towards Jace. “My name is Luke, and Arianna and I are old, dear friends.”

Jace crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Loki instead of reaching out to shake his hand. The trickster god didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by the glare. If anything, he looked amused by it as he drew his hand back in, which only served to make Jace’s glare deepen.

Looking back and forth between the two, Toni rolled her eyes. Great. Just what she needed. A dick-measuring contest. “If you two are going to do this, can you do it somewhere else? The testosterone is gagging me.”

“Well now, we wouldn’t want that.” Mischievousness sparked in Loki’s eyes and made Toni’s stomach flip-flop in good and bad ways. “After all, there are much more fun ways to achieve that, wouldn’t you say?”

The meaning only took a second to fully kick it. When it did, Toni found herself blushing, something she hadn’t known she was still capable of doing. She’d been pretty sure that ability had been burnt out back during the whole public fountain incident. “ _Luke_!” Just barely did she remember to hiss out his cover name instead of his actual one.

Smile never faltering, Loki reached up and held a hand out her way, palm up. “If you’re quite done, my dear, perhaps I could take you to lunch?”

“Lunch?” What? Toni’s brain usually ran quickly, yet she couldn’t quite seem to keep up, still stuck on the mental images his last words had brought to mind.

The way that Loki watched her said that he knew what effect he was having on her. “Yes. That was my original reason for coming here. I grew rather bored, and I thought I might surprise you by taking you out to eat.”

There was just enough honesty in his words for her to believe them. It wasn’t implausible that Loki had gotten bored. Or at least in need of a break, just the same as she’d been. Now that Toni’s head was clearer, she knew that it wasn’t just Loki she’d been running from. It was a bit of everything. There was so much on her plate right now, and it sometimes felt like she was going to buckle underneath it all.

She took a closer look at Loki’s face and could see a lightness that hadn’t been there earlier. Loki’s smile held more truth and more humor to it.

That was enough to decide her. Before Toni could second guess herself, she placed her hand in Loki’s and braced on him, allowing him to help her down. Once she was on the ground, she tilted her head and beamed up at him. “Don’t you mean _I’ll_ be taking _you_ out to eat?”

“Semantics, darling.”

Toni’s smile grew until it crinkled her eyes. She smiled up at him, briefly forgetting all about their audience. “Tell you what. I’ll buy lunch if you make dinner tonight.”

“As if you would make dinner,” Loki said, sniffing disdainfully at her.

She chuckled. “True.” With Loki there, Toni didn’t even bother attempting to cook.

When she finally remembered Jace and turned towards him, she found him watching her cautiously, though with less protectiveness than before. He was clearly still curious about Loki. But her reactions to him had calmed her friend.

Toni reached out to him and gently laid her hand on his crossed arms. She didn’t call him on his worry; that would’ve only served to make them both uncomfortable. Instead, she just flashed him a soft smile and told him “Give me a call when the part comes in. I’ll come out and put it in, and Tim can have his truck back.”

After a small pause, Jace nodded. “Soon as it’s in, I’ll let you know. Now go on, clean up. If you hurry up, you might get in before Juju’s rush runs through. I hear she’d planned on making a fresh batch of zeppole today.”

That was enough to have Toni perking up. “What? Oh, man, fuck, okay. Give me like _two minutes_.” That said, she shot off towards the bathroom to change out of her work clothes, already beginning to unhook them before she was even fully inside the room.

Toni was a pro at throwing on clothes quickly. She’d had plenty of practice over the years. It’d been a necessary skill to learn when leaping out of the beds of various partners when their husband/wife/significant other came home. Not exactly her _proudest_ memories, or her most honest skill, but it came in handy now.

In less than two minutes, she was out of the bathroom and hurrying towards Loki, not even hesitating to grab his hand when she got close. “C’mon!” She tugged on his hand, completely missing the surprise on his face. He let himself get pulled along, though. “We gotta hurry! Juju makes the best damn zeppole, and if we don’t get there, the stupid tourists are gonna get them all.”

“What is a zeppole?” Loki asked. He caught up to her, his long legs easily taking a single stride for every two or three of hers.

Toni quickened her steps and kept on tugging him. They were out of the garage now and heading down the street to Juju’s Diner – one of Toni’s favorite places to eat. “Oh gorgeous, you’re about to have an _experience_.”

There was only a small crowd in the diner when they reached in. Toni, still tugging Loki along with her, shoved the doors open and burst inside with her typical fanfare, beaming brightly at the woman behind the counter and calling out “ _Juju_!”

Customers looked up at Toni’s loud entrance. The few tourists in there looked surprised or confused. One looked annoyed. But the locals only smiled and shook their heads. However, behind the counter stood an older, heavyset woman in a chef’s apron. She had lines on her face that showed she was a woman who’d spent a lot of her life laughing, and her silver hair was kept in a tight bun on her head. Juju Olsen lit up with a wide grin the instant she saw Toni. “Arianna Strange, as I live and breathe. I was beginning to think we were gonna have to send someone out to your house to make sure you were still alive.”

Toni dragged Loki right up to the counter with her. She only let go to push herself up and stretch across the countertop so she could embrace her friend. Juju pulled Toni in tight for a hug that smelled like flour and frosting. Oh yeah, she’d _definitely_ been baking!

The two broke apart, and Toni dropped herself back down into her seat, arms folding to rest on the counter. “I heard you were making zeppole today. How was I supposed to stay away?”

“Oh, get outta here with you!” Juju said, laughing and flicking a hand towel her way. She was already moving towards the kitchen doors, though. “You and your beau go find a seat, and I’ll bring some right on out to you. An food, too! Scrawny little thing like you can’t just live off sweets!”

“Just you watch me!” Toni called after her. She didn’t try protesting, though. She just hopped off the stool and gestured for Loki to follow her.

He did, though he looked a bit amused by the whole thing. When they were finally sitting in a booth in the corner, facing one another, Toni arched an eyebrow at him. “What’s got you looking so amused, Comet?”

“You are quite well-loved in your life here,” Loki said, surprising her. He was sitting back in the booth seat and somehow managing to make it look like he was sitting on a throne. There was just an air to him; one that was almost always there. Sometimes it made him feel unapproachable. Toni was surprised to realize that sensation had lessened the longer he stayed with her. Now, she found herself relaxing a little when he smiled at her. “The people in this town are fond of you, and you of them.”

Toni’s lips quirked up. “They’re good people here.” They were, too. There were good people here. That’s what made it all the harder sometimes when she realized she was lying to them. At the same time, though… those lies were what made it so easy to get along with them.

She hadn’t intended to say that – had never voiced this thought out loud even to JARVIS – and yet Toni suddenly found herself saying “I’m living a lie, but sometimes it’s like I’m more true to myself than I ever had been.”

A flush filled her cheeks when she realized what she’d just said. However, when she snuck a look up, Loki was watching her with something that looked like… understanding? “It is nice, to exist in a place outside of the expectations held for you,” he said lowly.

That was exactly it. Here, Toni was free to be herself without any worry about messing up someone’s expectations of her. No one here knew Arianna Strange when she’d first showed up. They didn’t have some preconceived notion about her from tabloids or anything else. As Tony Stark, the whole world had felt like they knew her. They’d been witness to her biggest mistakes throughout the entirety of her life. Here, those mistakes didn’t matter. No one knew them. She could live in anonymity.

Toni could hug anyone she wanted – and often did – and there wouldn’t be seventeen papers, six magazines, and three news stations all wondering if this was someone she was sleeping with now. She could talk to someone without worrying that the other person only wanted her money or her tech. She didn’t have to worry if they were a reporter, or a SHIELD agent trying to get in close, or some kind of spy for another company, or someone looking to drug and kidnap her.

Toni could just… be Toni.

Very few people would understand that. It kind of made sense that Loki, of all people, _would_.

He’d been a Prince. From what she knew, he’d always been the _different_ prince, too. The one who was scrutinized the most, who was always found lacking, who did things like magic that the others didn’t approve of, and so he’d only been forced to wear his masks even more firmly.

The two shared a look then that said clearer than words just how much they understood of the other. And at that moment, Toni knew, she was screwed. No matter how much she’d been freaking out earlier about trusting this man, or being his friend, it was too late. She already trusted him far more than she probably ever should.

And honestly, as they sat there together and she watched him try his first bit of zeppole, as she watched him unwind and relax and lose some of that ever-present tension, Toni really couldn’t bring herself to mind.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for violence, minor character death (not anyone super important) and fighting, plus Toni's coping mechanisms afterward

With each passing day, the timetable that Toni had to deal with Killian became less and less. Yet she still hadn’t figured out a way to stop him.

There was nothing that she or JARVIS had been able to find that would be able to get Killian locked up. Most of the stuff he was doing was perfectly legal. The stuff that wasn’t, well, he was smart enough to not keep it where it could be found. As much as Toni hated to say it, he _was_ smart. Far smarter than she was comfortable with.

Days dwindled until Toni knew that she was truly running out of time. There was a little more than a month until he was going to make his visit to Pepper – just a week until the first Mandarin attack – and the whole mess would be started. With each day, Toni’s panic grew a little stronger. She shut herself off from everyone and cracked down in her workshop to try and come up with something, _anything_ , that might save the people she loved. Anything that might keep Pepper, Happy, and Tony safe, plus all the innocent people who were taken in by this.

But she didn’t get a chance to come up with a safe plan. Not when the search she had JARVIS running finally turned up something.

The first Extremis enhanced soldier had been killed.

It wasn’t much. Other people weren’t even hurt in the blast. But… JARVIS had registered a blast with the signature that Toni had programmed into him. Someone had _died_ while Toni was down in her workshop fighting to figure out how the hell to stop it all. And she just… she couldn’t…

Toni let out a furious snarl when she got the news. Guilt was her first emotion, and it hit her like a sucker punch.

It was followed quickly by anger.

 _No more_. Toni shoved away from the table, ignoring JARVIS’s voice calling out to her, and marched over to where she had the bracelets of her newest suit sitting. She’d been working on it, tweaking the nanotech and changing some color schemes around. _Now’s as good a time as any to test it_.

The bracelets were easily snapped on. Toni didn’t hesitate to call the suit up to her. In an instant, it was bleeding out and forming around her. The familiar shell of her armor settled on Toni, helping to relieve some of her tension. The fear, the what-if that had been eating at her, those were gone now. In their place was a cold calm.

“Ma’am?” JARVIS spoke into her ear. “Ma’am, what are you doing?”

“It’s time to end this, JARVIS. I’m not sitting back and wringing my hands anymore.” With the suit fully around her, there was no more reason to wait. Toni made her way over to the emergency panel she’d installed. A quick input on the keypad and the patch of ceiling above her opened up to reveal the blue sky. “I’m going to take care of this.”

“What exactly is it you plan on doing, Ma’am?”

The repulsors kicked on, and Toni shot up through her backyard and up into the sky. Behind her, the hatch closed once more, securing her workshop. Toni activated the stealth technology she’d been working on and hoped that it actually worked the way it was supposed to. Even with her new color scheme, she didn’t need the world seeing Iron Man flying through the sky here. No need to risk drawing their attention to this little town, or to where she was going now. “I plan on stopping him before he goes any further. Then I plan on talking with Maya and making sure she knows what she almost allowed to happen, and getting her somewhere safer where she won’t work on things that kill people.”

“Perhaps you should wait for backup.”

“No,” Toni said immediately. “No one else needs to know about this, J. Lockdown protocol Epsilon, Delta, 7.5. Passcode – I solemnly swear I am up to no good.”

There was a distinct note of disapproval that entered JARVIS’s voice. “Lockdown protocols activated.”

“Good. Now, find me Killian’s location, and let’s go give our friend a visit, J. I think it’s time he and I had a nice long _talk_.”

* * *

It seemed that Killian was keeping himself laid low in a house just outside of London. Toni couldn’t help but think how lucky that made her. Usually, that kind of luck was the thing of movies; more often than not, real life had your enemy in a crowd of people. That made it harder for you to do anything without risking civilians. But JARVIS told her that he was in his house, and he was alone. There was no one around to witness anything when Toni came crashing into his office with all the dramatics she could muster.

There was a part of her that was darkly satisfied by the way that Killian jerked up from his desk. That part was even more satisfied when she had the nanotech bleed away, still camouflaged and perfectly timed to reveal her as if she’d suddenly materialized out of thin air.

Toni was all smiles as she smoothed her hand over her jeans and tugged her shirt down to get rid of the wrinkles. “Hello, Killian.”

The man stared at her, almost gawking. His hand twitched like he wanted to reach for a weapon and wasn’t quite sure if he really should. “Who are you and what’re you doing here?”

His question had Toni startling. Then she wanted to smack herself. _Duh, he doesn’t know who you are! You don’t look like Tony Stark anymore you idiot!_ Toni shook that thought off and straightened up to try and get as much height as she could manage. It wasn’t much, though at least Killian wasn’t like, Loki height. “Let’s just say I’m the friend of a friend, Aldrich. An I’d like to have a word with you.”

Killian was the one smoothing down his clothes now. Even at home, he dressed in a suit. AIM making him good money. The suit was of good quality. “Most people make an appointment.”

“Oh, you’ll find I’m not most people.” Laughing, Toni made her way over towards one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk from Killian. She didn’t hesitate to drop herself down into it. “Have a seat, Aldy my boy. We’ve got a few things to talk about – might as well be comfortable while we do it.”

She was taking a lot of risk here. Killian had already injected himself with Extremis. Toni remembered that; she remembered his ability to breathe fire, his extra strength – all of it. It was why she was grateful for her bracelets. The suit could be on her in a flash if things went wrong. And there was every chance that things could go wrong.

Right now, it seemed like Toni was going to be lucky, though. Killian only briefly hesitated before he took his seat once more. Still, as he folded his hands together on the desktop, Toni felt the heat of the room amp up a bit. “All right, miss. You have my attention.”

“Cool.” A bright grin lit up Toni’s face, sharp and – to those that knew her – dangerous. She crossed her legs and folded her own hands into her lap. She kept them at an angle that she’d be able to fling them up in an instant if need be, though. She wasn’t _stupid_.

Though some might argue it. Especially when her grin grew, and she stared right at Killian as she bluntly told him “I know about Extremis.” She chuckled at the way he jerked, the little tells that gave away his shock. Not even the increase of heat in the air stopped her. “Oh yeah. You’re not as slick as you think you are, Aldy. I know all about Extremis and the work you’ve been having Maya do. I know how volatile it is when it goes wrong, and I know that people have died.”

“You seem to know a lot,” Killian said slowly. He looked like he was fighting to keep his composure. “And I don’t even have the pleasure of knowing your name.”

Toni batted her lashes at him. “You can call me Arianna. And I know a whole lot more than that, sweetheart.” Lifting one hand, Toni dropped her head as if inspecting her nails, using one to pick underneath another, but she kept a careful watch on him through her lashes. “I know you’ve got plans for Extremis – and for Tony Stark. I know you’ve found an actor you’re duping into making videos for you – videos you don’t plan on telling him are going to air to the world. I know _all_ about your plans.”

There was a brief moment where the rage flashed over Killian’s face, and Toni braced herself, sure that she was about to have to fight. Only, Killian carefully drew it back in, the fire going out of his eyes. He took a few breaths to compose himself. When he did, that rage was gone, and calculation had taken its place. “If you know all that, I assume there’s a reason you’re here telling me about it.” One corner of his mouth quirked up as he let his gaze run over her body. “A personal interest in Extremis, perhaps, Miss Arianna?”

The feel of Killian’s gaze running over her body made Toni feel sick. This man was _disgusting_. He was an idiot and a killer, and he was planning on killing so many more.

Toni let that disgust harden her voice. “No. I’m here to warn you.” She let her anger seep into her features and make her eyes sharp when she finally lifted her gaze back towards him. Toni locked eyes with Killian and didn’t bother to hide a thing she was feeling. “You’ve got two choices here, Killian. You either choose to stop this now, on your own, or I’m going to stop you. I won’t let you harm innocent people, and I sure as hell won’t let you anywhere near Tony Stark or his people.” _You won’t get anywhere near Pepper or Happy again._

“You think you can stop me?” Slowly but surely, Killian pushed his chair back, rising up to his feet. Like quite a few men had done since Toni had found herself in this form, he towered over her and tried to use that height to intimidate. People had done it when she was still male, but nowhere near as much as they had since she’d become female. “You and what army? You came here to face me, alone.”

His words reminded her of a different time, and a different conversation. ” _I have an army”_ and _”We have a Hulk._ ” Only this time, there was no Hulk, no army, no backup of people she’d never worked with before. There was just her, and her suit, and Killian.

“No army – just me.”

Killian laughed. The sound was dark and twisted, sending a chill down her spine, even as her skin began to prickle with the increase in heat. “Then tell me, Miss Arianna…” Killian raised his hands as his skin began to glow. “What reason do I have to let you leave?”

There was only an instant for Toni to react. She leapt to the side just as Killian opened his mouth and breathed out a tidal wave of fire.

In the next instant, Toni was reminded that she _wasn’t_ alone here. The nanotech raced over her skin and encapsulated her inside of the safety of her suit – a suit far more advanced than the ones she’d had last time she’d faced this monster – and the voice of JARVIS was right there in his ear. “Suit is at full fighting capabilities, Ma’am. All Extremis protocols have been enabled.”

“You’re beautiful, JARVIS,” Toni told him.

That was all the time she had for talking for a little while. Killian stopped the fire-breathing, but he’d cleared the desk in the time it took her suit to form, and Toni had no time to do anything but defend herself as best she could.

It was surprising just how hard she found it. Then again, if she let herself think about it, it made sense. She had yet to truly fight in this body. In her time here, she’d been set up safely out of the way, doing more talking than anything else. Sparring was one thing – actually fighting was quite different. There were parts of her that she’d thought she’d gotten used to that she now found got in the way more than she’d anticipated.

Toni blocked Killian’s blows as best as she could until there was finally a gap for her to get in a good repulsor blast.

The force of it sent him flying through the wall. Toni took off after him, not wanting to give him time to do anything. The instant she had him in view, she drew up and lifted her hands his way. “JARVIS, activate Protocol: Popsicle!”

The blast that shot from her repulsors this time wasn’t typical. This was a concentrated cold blast that Toni would vehemently deny she’d designed not after her Extremis battle, but after watching The Flash on TV and seeing Captain Cold’s cold gun.

Ice built up around Killian before he could get himself up off the ground. It held him there, keeping him pinned down to the ground until every bit of him except his head was frozen in place.

Only then did Toni drop herself down to the ground. She couldn’t help but think how much easier the last battle might’ve gone if she’d had something like this on hand.

Killian looked furious. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded in a harsh, rasping voice. “I know that suit, but you’re no Tony Stark. Who are you, and who’s he to you?”

“I’m just someone who gives a damn about him and about the rest of the world.” Seeing him like this, seeing him contained, Toni felt some of her anger fade a little. He was just a man. An enhanced man, yes, but just a man. One whose crimes weren’t too great yet. They would be, she knew. If he got away from her, they would be. The madness in his eyes made that clear. He was too far gone to just walk the path of good anymore. But she had stopped him. If she could figure out how to contain him, get him back to the lab and neutralize his powers, she could turn him over to the police.

 _What’re they going to do with him?_ A voice deep inside whispered. _There’s no proof he did anything wrong. He’d walk free, and you’d be the one in trouble._

Toni ignored that voice, pushing it away. It didn’t matter what that part of her was saying. She had to _try_. That determination had her voice strengthening once more. “It’s over, Aldrich. Your plan failed. There’s not going to be any Extremis soldiers, no Mandarin, none of it.” Again, Toni was reminded of that old conversation, a different person, and she found herself using those lines once more. “There’s no version of this where you come out on top.”

“That’s what you think.”

All of a sudden JARVIS was saying a sharp “Ma’am!” in her ear, and the ice around Killian exploded.

The force of it sent Toni flying backward. She didn’t get a chance to recover before Killian was on her. His hands were superheated, melting away some of the nanotech as he grabbed at it and tried to yank it away. More rushed to take its place, though not always fast enough to prevent the burns to her arms. Toni fought to shove him off, only his weight was too much.

She finally got a hand free and drew it to the side, blasting the ground. The resulting force was enough for her to fling herself up and over, pinning Killian to the ground instead. Once there, she slammed a fist into his face once, twice, three times.

Killian roared at her, and Toni flung herself backward as he breathed out fire once more. She hit a tree as she went, breaking it and adding a few more bruises as she did. When she shoved herself back up, Killian was on his feet and stalking towards her. “Stop!” Toni shouted at him. She had to try, one last time. “It doesn’t have to be like this, Killian!”

“Oh yes, it does.” Killian gave a feral grin and leapt once more.

They tore apart the area around them as the two grappled back and forth. Toni tried to pin him down again, to ice him once more, but he’d learned from that first attack, and he was fast.

When he shot fire out again, Toni dodged once more, only this time Killian was waiting for it. He’d planned it. When she dodged, it put her right in his way, close enough for him to tackle her down to the ground once more.

Toni was pinned underneath him, her wrists held hard against the ground, and Killian’s whole body was heating up now. Toni could feel it on every inch of her suit. Bits of it were melting, falling away and being replaced by more, and she knew it wasn’t going to last much longer. JARVIS was giving her numbers and percentages in her ear that Toni only half paid attention to.

She was out of options. She’d tried to stop him, given him multiple chances to stop, and he wasn’t going to. His eyes were full of madness, and he was grinning down at her, thrilled to watch as she struggled and failed to break free. He was going to kill her, and then he was going to go after everyone else with a vengeance, and Toni wasn’t going to be there to stop him. He’d go after Tony, after Pepper, after _Happy_. Toni couldn’t let that happen.

Toni took a deep breath and stared up at the man, knowing exactly what she had to do. “JARVIS, power the unibeam.”

Bless him, he didn’t question her. “Charging, Ma’am.”

The armor on Toni’s thigh melted away, and she hissed as the heat burned against her skin. With the charging of the unibeam, suit defenses weren’t as strong, meaning that more than a few burns got through. She was going to have to take care of that once she got home.

Then the beam was charged, and Toni made herself look up, made herself look right at him and try, just one last time. “Stop this, Killian. You don’t have to do this. It’s not too late to stop.”

“I’m not going to stop,” Killian snarled at her. “I’m going to destroy you, and then I’m going to burn this world to the ground.”

There was no time for hesitation on Toni’s part. She ignored the pain, both physical and mental. As she’d had to do far too many times in her life, she made the hard choice, the choice that not many others would’ve made, knowing that, to some, it made her just as much of a monster as the man on top of her. “Than, I’m sorry.” With those last words, she sent the unibeam blasting from her chest.

Extremis in this form gave its user superhuman healing. Better than Steve, or Thor, or even Hulk, she estimated. But there was no healing from a beam that literally ripped a person in half.

Toni shoved both parts of Killian to the side so that they fell down beside her with a squelch that would’ve made her stomach turn at any other time. Right then, she felt numb. The kind of numbness that usually came after too much alcohol. It gave oblivion, yet promised later that the pain would be back, so much stronger than before.

“Ma’am?”

JARVIS’s soft voice broke Toni out of her thoughts. She blinked up at the sky above her and drew in another shaky breath. She needed to move. Someone would’ve seen all that – it was a wonder SHIELD or the Avengers weren’t here yet. Someone was going to come, and Toni couldn’t be here when that happened.

She didn’t feel a thing as she slowly brought herself up to her feet. That was bad, she knew. But the numbness seemed to have spread to the rest of her body. “JARVIS,” Toni’s throat felt dry, and her voice sounded hollow.

Luckily, her AI knew her better than anyone. She didn’t have to say anything else to him. JARVIS assumed control of the suit and pulled up the camouflage before he sent them into the sky. With JARVIS in charge, Toni was free to close her eyes as they flew away from the carnage behind them. Close her eyes and just, not feel, trusting in her friend to get her home.

* * *

The flight back home was a blur for Toni. She didn’t really register any of it. Somewhere over the ocean, she blanked out, and nothing JARVIS said broke through. Toni didn’t notice flying, or landing, or the voices that were calling out to her, or even the suit bleeding away from her.

What finally broke through the dull numbness that had taken over was the sensation of cool hands pressing against her cheeks.

“Toni,” a voice called out to her, and she knew that voice, didn’t she? The coolness stroked soothingly over her cheeks and drew Toni a little further out of her head. “That’s it, Anthony. Come back to me. You’re in your home, with JARVIS watching us, and I’m here, darling. Come back to me.”

She did know that voice. That was… that was Loki. That’s right. That was Loki’s hands on her face, and Loki’s steady voice, slowly coaxing Toni out of the dark places inside of her and back towards the light. Slowly, oh so slowly, she blinked her eyes, wincing at the brightness.

The lights instantly dulled a little. _Thank you, JARVIS_. When Toni blinked again, the lights were lowered to a manageable level, and Loki was right there in front of her. His face was the first thing that she saw. The bright green of his eyes glowing with his seidr in a way that Toni hadn’t even realized would be soothing. Only, she knew at that moment that Loki wasn’t a threat to her. What threat she saw was aimed at someone else – at the person he assumed had hurt her.

Toni’s breath shuddered out of her. She opened her mouth, unsure what to say, only to find the words spilling out of her. “I killed him.”

“I’m quite sure he deserved it,” Loki said instantly. His hands didn’t flinch and his gaze never even wavered.

The kind of faith he showed in that statement was shocking. Loki didn’t even know who it was or what had happened, yet he was quite firmly on her side already. Toni didn’t know what to do with that. No one except Jim had ever shown her that kind of faith before. Even then, Jim would’ve been hesitant, he would’ve wanted to know what happened.

Closing her eyes, Toni pressed her face against Loki’s palms, soaking up that grounding touch. “I didn’t want to,” she whispered. Now that the words were coming, they didn’t seem to want to stop. “I went there to… to talk. I thought, I don’t’ know, maybe I could scare him down? Make him stop. But he didn’t… he just, he attacked, and I should’ve known. I should’ve had another plan. I should’ve…”

One of Loki’s thumbs pressed against her lips and cut her off. “Breathe, Toni.”

It took a few tries before any attempt at breathing came out even slightly normal.

When she finally managed it, Loki nodded, and he moved his thumb away from her bottom lip. “Now, tell me what happened.”

And she did.

Standing in her workshop, burns on her body and fine tremors running through her, Toni told him everything. Every single detail. It poured out of her until there were no more words inside of her, and she was left standing there in front of him, bare and exposed in a way she’d so rarely allowed anyone to see her. Yet she stood before him that way and wasn’t afraid.

Loki proved himself worth that trust when he said not a word. Instead, he pulled her in against him, arms wrapping around her until every inch of Toni was wrapped up in him. Their height difference meant that she was free to bury her face against his chest. It meant that, when he hugged her tight, his chin pressing down over her head, Toni felt small in a way that was _good_ and _safe_.

There were no false words; no empty platitudes. He didn’t reassure her that she’d done good – though Toni knew he would believe it. He didn’t tell her that it was okay, or that she would be fine. No, Loki did something so much better. He gave her a safe space to put herself back together. He held her there and supported her as she broke apart, her tears soaking the front of his shirt, and he continued to hold her there until Toni found the strength to gather up her control and put away all the feelings that she so rarely let show.

When she lifted her head, Loki let her, though he didn’t let go.

Toni knew she probably looked a mess. Eyes swollen and red, cheeks marred by tears, and if this body was like her last one, her nose was likely just as red as her eyes. Yet somehow, Loki still looked down at her like she was the single most beautiful thing in his world.

It felt completely normal to stretch herself up. Loki met her halfway, bending until their lips could reach, and it was perfect. A bit off center at first, and a bit _more_ in ways Toni hadn’t expected. This mouth was a bit fuller. They had to pull back, adjust, and go back in again, and even still it was amazing. It was exactly what Toni needed.

“Loki.” She breathed his name against his lips like a benediction or a prayer. Both felt equally fitting. When she opened her eyes again, Loki was still watching her. There was a heat in his eyes that was searing away the rest of the cold that was still inside her. Toni wanted it, more than she’d wanted anything in a long time.

Maybe it was foolish – maybe it was completely and utterly stupid. Either way, Toni didn’t care. She needed tonight in a way that, with him, she was able to fill. She needed the touch of hands on her body, the feel of someone else on her, around her, _inside_ of her. Plenty of people had called Toni a slut through her life. But there was nothing better than the pleasure of her and her partner. The trade of touches and joy that she’d never found anywhere else in her life.

There was no one else Toni could think of that she’d want to try that with, in this new body, save for the one who was holding her together.

Toni lifted up on to her tiptoes and brushed her lips over his once more. “Take me to bed.”

Heat flashed through Loki’s eyes. Then, his lips curved.

He didn’t bother asking her if she was sure. He didn’t question her choice or insult her for it, or any of the other things that some might’ve. Loki respected her enough to know that she knew her own mind, and was in charge of her own body.

Lips curving, Loki smirked down at her with dark promise. “I am going to _wreck_ you, Toni Stark.”

A hint of Toni’s usual strength showed as she flashed a smile of her own that was sharp and jagged at the edges. “You can try.”

The workshop echoed with the sound of Loki’s laughter as he vanished them away.


	8. Chapter 8

A night spent with an amazingly talented and rather sinful god did quite a lot to get Toni back on an even keel. Underneath Loki’s skilled hands Toni had learned more about her body than she’d ever dreamed of, and plenty of things she hadn’t even imagined. And that was saying a _lot_. Toni had a pretty damn good imagination.

Loki took everything that Toni offered to him and more – and he gave her back so much in return. The sex was _fantastic_. But it wasn’t just the sex that settled Toni. It was more than that. It was the touches that came with it, the random gentleness that came through between the moments of roughness. The caress of a hand over her face, or smoothing down her back. It was the way he whispered words in that rough, raspy voice. Words that she didn’t understand yet still felt all the way down to her bones. It was how Loki pulled her into his arms when they finally gave in to their bodies need to sleep; how he held her close, skin to skin, and again made her feel small and safe.

There was no awkwardness when morning finally woke them. Toni had worried there might be – or that maybe Loki might be reading more into this than Toni was comfortable even _thinking_ about right now. Only, there hadn’t been. Loki had greeted her with a sleep-heavy grin and a kiss that curled her toes. Then he’d proceeded to show her just how much he still wanted her.

When they were done and were lying sated once more, Toni felt relaxed. Relaxed enough to lay draped like a blanket over his back, her face pillowed on her arms over his shoulder blades, and to speak words she hadn’t realized she needed to say.

“When I came back, after I freaked out a bit, I sat down and laid out a list of things that I could change, and things I probably shouldn’t.” Sighing, Toni shifted around, taking a moment to adjust to having her breasts squished. This had always been a favorite way of hers to lay with lovers in the past – if she trusted them – and it was amazing with Loki. She just wasn’t used to the different sensations yet. Once she was settled, she let her eyes drift shut, drinking in the comfort of his body underneath her. Here, it felt safe enough to say the words she hadn’t said to anyone else. “One of the things I told myself when I looked at my list was that I couldn’t just go around killing the people I knew would cause problems. Not even the bad ones. Because… because there’s always a chance for change, and if I just go killing people, that makes me no better than them, right?”

“Things are not always that simple.”

Toni sighed. “No, they’re not. I… I went out there to talk to Killian. I don’t know how I thought I’d stop him if he gave himself over, or what I’d do, but I was just… he’d killed someone already. I couldn’t keep sitting around waiting to figure it out. So, I went out there, and I talked to him. I told myself I was going to help, that I wanted to talk him down, but… a part of me knew how it would end.” _And I still went there. I went there, knowing there was a 97.6 percent chance I’d have to kill him_.

She felt more than heard the low hum that Loki gave. “It is the burden of those with knowledge to have to make the choices we know no one else will be able to. Not everyone may understand them, or even approve of them. But until they stand in your shoes, they have no room to judge them.”

“How do I know I made the right choice?” Toni whispered. It was the thought that was plaguing her. The one that she’d tried to burn out underneath Loki’s fire last night. Had she made the right choice?

The blunt answer she got surprised her. “You don’t,” Loki said simply. He must’ve felt her stiffen, but he didn’t comment on it, just kept talking in that same low, raspy-edged voice. “But, the choice has been made. All you can do now is decide if you can live with the consequences of it.”

That was far more honest than Toni thought anyone else would’ve been with her. It was also true.

What had happened yesterday was terrible, and it was something she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from feeling guilty over, but… it was done with. She was going to have to live with that guilt and the regret. Those feelings weren’t going to go away. She just had to decide if she was going to let them rule her life.

Maybe that was cold. Maybe it was heartless. There were some that she knew would say that about her if they heard about this. They weren’t her, though. They hadn’t been there. Nor did they have to face these kinds of choices.

Toni sighed again and let her weight settle a little more firmly on Loki.

Any further conversation was cut off by JARVIS. “My apologies for the interruption, Ma’am, but Sir is calling. He says it’s a code Hershey.”

That had Toni lifting her head a little. Huh. That wasn’t _terrible_ , but it wasn’t _good_ either. Hershey meant it was important, not life-threatening, and Tony knew it wasn’t something Toni would just turn away. Unfortunately, she had a feeling she knew what he wanted to talk about, and she wasn’t looking forward to it.

The clear tension in her body was hard for Loki to miss. Only, he took it to mean something entirely different, and he was already starting to withdraw without even moving. “I can return to my chambers.”

Underneath those words, it was easy for Toni to hear the rest. Loki thought she didn’t want them seen together. That she’d keep this from Tony.

Well, that was easy enough to lay to rest.

“Why?” Toni asked, twisting her head enough to look at the bit of his face she could see. She arched one eyebrow at him. “I’m comfortable, thank you very much. Unless you have some reason you don’t want to be seen here with me, I’m not moving. It won’t be the first time Tony’s gotten an eyeful of me, and I doubt it’ll be the last.” Modesty wasn’t something either Stark had.

When Loki only snorted, Toni took that to mean that he wasn’t going anywhere, and she settled herself comfortably again. They’d twisted around during their activities, so their heads were actually towards the foot of the bed, meaning that Toni only had to say “Patch him through, J,” and a holographic image leapt to life in the open space in front of them.

Tony was making the call from his workshop, they could see. He was seated at a table with a gauntlet in front of him being tinkered with, or at least it had been. Tony was twirling a screwdriver idly but wasn’t actually using it. He was dressed in a rumpled t-shirt, his hair showed signs of having had his hand through it more than once, and there was a bit of oil on his left cheek. All signs that he’d been hard at work before he called.

He took one look at the two of them and snorted. Loudly. “Whore.”

There was no animosity in his gaze – no surprise, either. JARVIS had likely warned him, then. That was fine. Toni drew her arms better on Loki’s back so she was free to tilt her head at an angle that let her watch Tony. A slow, lazy smile curved her lips, full of blatant self-satisfaction. “Jealous?”

Whatever look was on Loki’s face drew Tony’s eyes down for a moment. When he looked back up at Toni, he looked more amused than anything. “Maybe. The last time my dick saw anything interest was way too long ago for me to be comfortable with.”

Ahh, yeah, Toni remembered those early days. Times when Pepper was busy with SI, and Ton was busy with the Avengers, and private time wasn’t easy to come by. If she remembered details right, they’d be heading to Malibu soon to _take a break_ together. That was where all the drama with the Mandarin had gone down, after all.

Toni languidly stretched her body and then made a show of slumping back against Loki. Her weight didn’t bother him in the least. All he did was move himself to accommodate her better. His breathing didn’t even change. _Asshole_.

With a lick of her lips and another smug smirk, Toni shrugged one shoulder. “Mm, that sucks. I don’t seem to be having that problem.”

“You don’t have a dick,” Tony pointed out shamelessly. “An wasn’t he supposed to keep his in his own room?”

Wrinkling her nose, Toni pouted up at the screen. “Where’s the fun in that?”

There was a small vibration under Toni that she was guessing was Loki chuckling. “Was there a purpose to this, or were you two simply looking to taunt one another all day? Because if that is the case, I’ll go back to sleep.”

Toni dug her toes in against his calf in retaliation. The bastard didn’t even _twitch_. Tony, however, rolled his eyes. “Untwist your panties, Reindeer Games.”

Loki hummed lowly. “I’m not currently wearing any.”

A laugh bubbled up Toni’s throat at the way that Tony’s face twisted. “Okay, yeah, now I’m picturing you pulling on her panties, and just, no. No.” Pausing, Tony shuddered. “No.”

Toni drew her head up and rested her chin on her arms. Better to be able to grin at him this way. “Aw, come on, Tony! You gotta admit, it’s a pretty picture. I mean, I know _I_ like it, and seeing as how you’re _me_ …”

“Nope, nope, nope!” Tony lifted his hands and waved them frantically in front of his face. He just barely managed not to clip himself with the screwdriver. “We’re not getting into that. Not now, not ever, thank you very much.” He dropped his hands down to scowl at her, though there was no real heat in the look. “Here I am being a good twin and checking on you, making sure you’re all right out there, and taking time out of my day to let you know that I’m leaving for a while, and you’re taunting me of images of you two… no. Nope.”

“You’re leaving?” Toni asked, focusing on the important part of all that. Her grin faded away, and she pressed her lips together, a bit worried. What happened around this time that would take him away from the… _oh_. Right. She’d literally _just_ been thinking about this. “Ah. You guys heading out to Malibu, then?”

Tony took her knowledge in stride. He never got too caught up I the stuff she knew. “Yeah. Figured it was time for us to get away, relax a little bit. The Avengers have a bit of downtime while the others are off taking care of who-knows-what. So, Pep and I are relocating to Malibu to have some fun in the sun. Figured I’d at least let you know we won’t be here for a while, just in case.”

Pieces were starting to move again. Killian was off the board now, but Maya still needed to be dealt with, and the rest of AIM dismantled or else they might try and put someone new in Killian’s place. Also, Maya honestly needed help. She wasn’t a bad person. With Tony in Malibu and the other Avengers off on their jobs and in their own spaces, other things were going to start happening. Thor was undoubtedly home again, and that meant Jane was unprotected.

Toni shifted the pieces around the board in her mind and carefully plotted a few steps ahead. There were things she could do now that she hadn’t been able to before, and things that needed to be done. Some of those she could shuffle off onto others, while some needed to be taken care of herself. “I’m going to have JARVIS send you some files,” Toni said, drawing herself up enough to better be able to look at Tony. Instead of resting her face on her arms, she drew herself up enough to rest her weight on them, relieving the pressure on her chest and making it easier for her to look at Tony. The fact that it put her breasts on display a bit didn’t even occur to her. She was too busy thinking. “I told you a bit about AIM. They’ve recently… undergone some managerial changes. It might be best if someone made sure whoever ends up in charge is the _right_ choice. There’s a woman there, Maya Hansen, who SI would really benefit from having, and she’d be able to further a few of those ideas that Pepper’s been floating around.”

In Tony’s eyes was the same calculation that was in Toni. She knew his thoughts were running parallel to hers at the moment. Dismantling a group was only one way to take care of them. A _takeover_ was another. Or, more accurately, a _buyout_.

There’d be a lot of bad seeds Tony and Pepper would have to weed out. She’d told Tony about AIM, and just a bit about the Mandarin, so he knew at least a general idea of what he was getting into. JARVIS would be able to provide him with a bit more. So, Tony wouldn’t go into this blind. He’d know what to watch for. Plus, he had a few team members who were well suited to helping out with this kind of thing, plus a few others in his employ. SHIELD and the other Avengers had always underestimated SI, Pepper, and their employees.

“I’ve got a few ideas,” Tony said, tapping the screwdriver against the tabletop. His eyes were a bit distant as he ran through it all. Then they abruptly snapped back into focus. “We’ll take care of it. Anything else?”

That was the perfect opening. Toni moved her leg, drawing her toes along Loki’s calf, and smiled up at Tony. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d really appreciate it if you could set up a meeting between me an Jane Foster. It’d be a huge help.”

Loki jerked underneath her, and Tony looked at her with surprise. “You want to meet with Doc Foster?”

“There’s some other big stuff that’s supposed to happen soon,” Toni said vaguely, not wanting to give away too much about what wasn’t hers to give away. She’d been careful so far about what information she gave Tony about this. “I’ll give you the details on it if it becomes necessary. Until then, I need to get in contact with her because all of it starts with her, if I’m remembering right, and she’s got no idea who I am.”

Tony nodded slowly, his eyes a bit distant as he ran through it all. “Mm-hm. Not to mention, someone should probably catch her up on the bag of cats here, if Thor hasn’t already.”

“The _what_?” Loki asked incredulously, speaking up for the first time in a while. He’d been surprisingly quiet so far, though Toni imagined he was just drinking in the information they were laying out here for him.

For now, the two Starks ignored him. Toni was nodding, moving one hand at the same time to stroke lightly at Loki’s neck in a soothing touch. “Yeah. That’d probably be a good idea. Think you can take care of it before you go?”

“I’ll have it done before the end of the day.”

Toni grinned at him. “Perfect.”

“In the meantime, enjoy your day off,” Tony waved the screwdriver at them. He was smiling, looking relaxed, and it somehow made his next words all the more intimidating. “By the way, Loki – you screw my twin here over in any way, shape, or form, and JARVIS and I are gonna use every resource available to make your life a living hell.” Tony beamed broadly at the mage. His voice was cheerful and open enough that one might be fooled if they didn’t look into his eyes. There was a wealth of threat that was plainly visible. “An if you’re stupid enough to not be scared of me, you damn well better be scared of him.”

Loki rolled his head to the side. It opened up the side of his face for Toni to see, and there was a hint of a smile there, yet he looked completely serious as he said: “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“See that you do,” Tony said. Then he pointed the screwdriver at the both of them and beamed. “All right, kiddies, seems like I’ve got work to do. Don’t have too much fun!”

With that, the image was gone, and the two were left alone in the bedroom once more.

There was a hint of tension in Loki’s lean body. Toni could feel it underneath her. She felt a twisting sensation down low in her stomach: nerves. Would Tony’s words scare Loki away? Was he going to retreat from this now that Tony had threatened them like they were dating? Or, _fuck_ , did Loki actually think they _were_ dating?

She hadn’t realized that she’d started to sit up. Not until Loki began to shift and roll under her. Toni was left lifting up as best as she could or risk toppling over.

When Loki was finally situated on his back, Toni straddling high on his waist, there was a guarded look to his eyes that had Toni’s nerves growing. Before she could think about it, she blurted out: “This isn’t going to be awkward now, is it?” Please, God, don’t it be. That was the last thing that Toni wanted to deal with. “Because – all jokes about marriage and stuff aside – I like you and all, more than I thought I would, but I’m not looking for any kind of relationship right now. My life is enough of a shit show without adding the complications of dating to the mix.”

To her immense relief, there didn’t seem to be any hurt or anything on Loki’s face. In fact, his body actually _relaxed_ and his lips were curving up into a smile that had Toni wanting to slump in relief. “I assure you, my dear Lady Stark, I’m looking for nothing of the sort. What we have here is quite enough for me.”

His words had Toni giving in to the urge to slump down on him. “Oh, thank God.” She turned her face, rubbing her nose in against his neck. It was a nice place to lay. “You’re pretty much amazing in bed, and I really didn’t want to give this up.”

“You have no worries about that.” Cool fingers slid over her hip and back, to the dip of her spine. Toni shivered as they traced up over every dip and bump along the way. There was the barest hint of nail; just enough to have her making a happy little noise and nuzzling in closer to his neck. She nipped there, pleased at the way it made him suck in a breath.

Toni pushed aside all her worries and let herself get thoroughly distracted by the gorgeous man underneath her. The rest of her troubles would still be waiting once they got up later. For now, she was going to let him take her out of her head for a little while, and she planned on enjoying every single second of it.

* * *

By the time Toni finally made it out of the bedroom and down to her workshop, it was already mid-afternoon. She felt relaxed, sated, and ready to tackle her problems. Strolling into her room, she smiled as she dropped down into her chair. “All right, J, hit me. What’s piled up while I was busy?”

“I took the liberty of sending Sir your files on AIM. He and Ms. Potts are going to take a look at them this evening once they’ve settled into the Malibu home.  I’ve also kept a watch on the AIM network to make sure there will be no retaliation.” There was a brief pause, something that most might not have noticed but that spoke volumes to Toni. It was enough to have her bracing herself in preparation for JARVIS’s next words. “Aldrich Killian’s body became unstable after his death. Nine minutes after you left, the Extremis virus destabilized, and his remains were destroyed. As was most of his house. SHIELD arrived on the scene twelve minutes after that. All records indicate they found no evidence of your presence. His death seems to be being attributed to the testing SHIELD was aware AIM was doing.”

 _Isn’t that convenient_? Toni winced at that thought, dropping her eyes down. She leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up onto the nearby table. Guilt ate at her stomach. “Did he have any family, JARVIS? A significant other?”

“None, Ma’am.”

That definitely made it easier. No family, no one that would miss him seriously now that he was gone. With the explosion of his body and his house, there wouldn’t be any evidence left behind that might suggest Toni – or Tony, what with the likely clear signs there’d been some sort of repulsor technology used – had ever been there. At the same time, it made her feel a little worse. No one was going to miss Aldrich. No one was going to hold her accountable for what she’d done.

Toni pushed those thoughts away. Loki was right – the choice had already been made, and she had to live with it now. “What else, J?”

“Sir contacted Dr. Foster. Under the guise of wanting to study the Bifrost. He’s told Dr. Foster that he’s assembling a team and queried as to her interest. She’s agreed to speak with you and set up a meeting, if you so wish, at your earliest convenience.”

Sneaky little shit. Toni and Tony both definitely had an interest in studying the Bifrost. They were scientists, after all. However, what Toni wanted with Jane Foster had nothing to do with any of that. This was a sneaky way of getting them together, and yet Toni had no doubt that Tony’s offer to assemble a team – essentially, fund Jane’s work – was an honest one. He wouldn’t taunt her with something like that and not deliver. Jane would walk away from this with funding no matter what she agreed to.

“Where’s Jane at right now?” Toni asked.

A map popped up in front of her, and a little pin appeared in New Mexico. Hm. Toni tilted her head and began to tap her fingers against the tabletop beside her. When everything with the Convergence started to go down, she knew that Jane had been in London, because that’s where Erik Selvig had been. Where he was right now. Jane being in London would put their timeline even closer. “How much time do we have until the Convergence?”

“According to the data from Prince Loki, ten weeks, Ma’am,” JARVIS said.

That was more than Toni had thought. Her data before hadn’t been precise – she’d remembered general timelines, and a few things, but not _exact_ dates. Loki must’ve expanded on that for her.

Tapping her middle finger, Toni nodded, processing the change. “Dictate a response to Jane for me. Let her know that I’d love to meet, and I’ll be in the area by the end of the week. Then book us a place to stay and give her the information, but make the arrival time seem later. I want a chance to get settled in. Also, check with Loki and see if he feels up to making a trip with me.”

“Do you think that wise, Ma’am?”

Toni snorted. “Of course not. Get it done, kiddo.”

JARVIS let out a heavy sigh. “Of course, Ma’am.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm trying to get this up before I go to work, so I don't have the time to reply to your comments right now. Just know that I saw them and I love them THANK YOU SO MUCH - have 2 chapters as a reward :D

Puente Antiguo was a small little town that Toni was going to be more than happy to see the back of. Which said a lot, considering she’d been here an hour so far. It was hot, far too reminiscent in look and feel of the deserts that Toni tried her damndest to not think about, and it contained someone that Toni very much needed to work with her and who might actually freak out a bit once she caught sight of Toni’s companion.

The fact that Loki had agreed to come was a bit of a surprise to Toni. She hadn’t been sure. Especially since Toni knew that Jane had a pretty good reason to hate him. Then again, this whole thing was happening so that Toni could help find a way to protect Asgard – to help save Loki’s mom – so really, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.

Toni didn’t admit even to herself just how glad she was that Loki was coming with her. Not just because of that sense of protection that came with it – she could handle herself, dammit! – but because, well, the two had taken to spending almost all their time together lately, with random breaks here for their own personal work. Spending who-knew-how-long without him didn’t sound like her idea of fun.

The level of attachment that suggested left Toni feeling a bit nauseous when she let herself think about it. So, mostly, she didn’t let herself think about it.

In every other way, things between Toni and Loki and changed surprisingly little. Sure, there was the addition of a whole lot of amazing sex between them, but the rest of it? They still talked, still flirted, still teased one another about their supposed _engagement_. They just backed up the flirting and innuendos with actual sex. In pretty much every room in the house.

Stepping out of the house and coming here felt sort of strange. As if Toni was making a step back into the real world. For a while now she’d been hidden away in Leckly. The only time she went out was to work at the garage, to eat, or to get groceries. Even then, it was only ever in that town. Only ever where she was safe. Toni didn’t even go back to Stephen’s home no matter how many times he offered. Go figure the one time she finally does go somewhere, it’s to a town that’s miserably hot in a completely non-fun sort of way.

The bonus was getting to see more of Loki out and about in what was becoming his typical garb. It’d started hipster and was slowly morphing into something that was purely Loki. Skinny jeans, almost always, sometimes t-shirts and overshirts, and sometimes a long sleeved shirt with a short sleeved over it. Scarves were common, too. He seemed to really enjoy them even if he didn’t actually _need_ them.

Toni was going to make damn sure the mage’s closet never had anything but skinny jeans and his leather Asgardian pants. That was an ass way too nice to be showcased in anything else.

At the moment Loki was standing near the window looking out over the city while he waited for Toni to finish getting dressed.

Toni was done, but she’d stopped in the bathroom doorway to look at him. Smiling, she leaned in and let her shoulder rest against the door frame, and she just let her eyes drink him in. He was in black jeans and a plain white tank top that Toni sort of wanted to peel off with her teeth. He had his hair in a bun again, leaving the long line of his neck exposed. There wasn’t even a hint of the marks that Toni had left there earlier that morning.

As if he felt his eyes on her – or, more likely, he’d known she was there the entire time – Loki turned just head his to look back at her. The double take he did was immensely satisfying.

JARVIS had shopped for clothes for Toni, once he’d taken her measurements for her. Most of the clothes she had, he picked out, and he’d been the one to help pack for this trip. Toni had two weeks worth of clothes stuff down into her suitcase. More than she’d thought she’d need, but JARVIS had wanted her papered, so she was. However, that meant she’d had plenty of clothes to pick from, and Toni hadn’t been able to resist trying to pick something to tease her new lover. Yeah, she was supposed to be dressing to meet with Jane, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun taunting Loki a little too.

Toni had picked one of the business dresses that JARVIS had ordered. It was sunshine yellow, and it looked, if Toni said so herself, pretty good against her tanned skin. The bottom was something she’d heard Pepper call a pencil something-or-other. What pencils had to do with clothes, she’d never quite understood. But it was tight enough on her legs to show them off pretty perfectly, stopped a bit above her knees, and it made her ass stand out. So Toni counted it as a win.

The top had wide straps to hold it up, and a little V cut to show cleavage, which was held together by a thin golden bar. An identical bar, just wider, decorated the front of the belt around her waist. She’d paired it with some jewelry like Pepper had always insisted was important. Just a few of those simple circles that Pepper called bungles or bangles or what-the-hell-ever. Last, she’d pulled on gold heels with a strap over her foot and one around her ankle, and she’d left her hair hanging loosely around her head.

All in all, it was perfectly professional look. One that had Loki’s eyes going hot in an instant.

“Professional enough?” Toni asked, pushing off the door frame and running her hands over her curves, smoothing down the lines of her dress. She moved easily towards him. One thing she’d never admit to doing – and she’d had JARVIS delete the footage of – was all the practice she’d given to wearing heels in the privacy of her workshop. She’d tried heels on early on, assuming they were as easy as Pepper always made it look.

Good fucking damn had she been wrong!

It’d taken a lot of practice, and a few crashes until she started to get the hang of it. Once she’d realized how hard it was, Toni hadn’t been satisfied until she’d finally managed it. She wasn’t going to get beaten by a pair of _shoes_.

That meant that now she was easily able to make her way through the hotel room to stand in front of Loki, one hand on her hip and a teasing grin curving her lips.

Loki matched her smile with one of his own. One corner of his mouth curved up, and the look in his eyes promised all sorts of dirty things. “Quite. I am going to enjoy peeling you out of this later.”

Toni laughed before darting up to steal a quick kiss. “If you’re good.” She gave him a wink and then drew away before he got the chance to put his hands on her. “Come on, Don Juan. We’ve got a meeting to get to, and Dr. Arianna Strange needs to make a good first impression. And you…” Toni stopped near the door, scooping up the bag she preferred instead of a purse and tossing a crooked smile over her shoulder at Loki. “You need to try to be that charming man I know is hidden under all the buckets full of crazy.”

The way Loki sighed was like she’d asked so much of him. With every ounce of princely-snootiness that he could muster, he tipped his chin up and sniffed. “If I must.”

A wide grin split Toni’s face. As they left the room, she slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, and he adjusted automatically in a stance that was no less royal for the human clothes he was wearing. She bumped her shoulder against his arm and laughed lightly at the smile it got her. This was going to be fun. Even if she had to pretend to be someone else, at least she knew she was going to have fun.

* * *

The place they’d agreed to meet Jane in was a little Mexican restaurant that was supposed to be neutral ground for them. Public, too, which Toni considered a benefit, though she didn’t say that. Less chance of everyone making a scene this way.

Toni and Loki were seated side by side in a private booth away from prying eyes. Thankfully, the lunch crowd was somewhat thinned, which made it easy for the hostess to seat people away from their table. It was amazing what money could buy a person. They’d be as private as Toni’s money could possibly make them.

Now it was just a matter of getting the meeting done with. They didn’t have to wait long.

Their coffee had just been served when the door opened again, and Toni caught sight of Jane Foster making her way inside, Darcy on her heels. The younger woman was talking animatedly, a bright, teasing grin on her face, and it reminded Toni a little of the way that Clint had been for a short period of time. How he’d been like that once, walking and talking with Toni, beaming at him and mocking him, not afraid to prod at the resident genius. Then, well… then everything happened, and those smiles and that laughter had faded right along with everything else.

The touch of Loki’s hand to her arm snapped her out of her stroll down memory lane. Toni shook her head to banish those thoughts back where they belonged. That was then, and this was now. Now was what she needed to focus on.

Toni was already pasting on her best publicity smile even as she rose to her feet. Everything about her exuded calm, control, and friendliness. It was an instinctive cloak that she drew around herself. When she’d been Tony, it had come off as a cocky swagger sometimes. As Toni, she imagined it wasn’t anywhere near as impressive as Pepper, but hopefully it gave the image of confidence Toni was going for.

“Dr. Foster!” Toni’s voice echoed across the room, bringing Jane’s attention from the Hostess and over to Toni. One look was all Toni needed to know that she’d dressed herself a bit too formally for the occasion. Jane was in dark jeans, a plaid button up, and a jean jacket over it. She looked comfortable and relaxed, though Toni questioned her sanity a little at wearing a jacket in this weather.

At her side, the one that had to be Darcy Lewis was equally relaxed, if not more so, in jeans of her own and a t-shirt that said “Nerd? I prefer _Intellectual Badass_ ” on the front of it. Her dark hair was pulled into a ponytail, she wore glasses, and Toni was betting – based off of what she remembered hearing about the girl – there was a taser on her person somewhere. Toni took one look at the young girl and had an instant thought of _awwww_ followed by the need to take the precious little nerd and bundle her up in blankets and run away. Well, if she could pry her away from Jane’s side.

Toni’s thoughts only took a moment. Just enough time for Jane and Darcy to make their way over to her. Toni met them in the middle of the room and held a hand out, beaming brightly and a bit more honestly now. “Hey! I’m so glad you guys could make it!”

“And we are _so_ glad we came,” Darcy said, stretching around Jane to quickly grab Toni’s hand and shake it. The way her eyes ran over Toni was familiar; as was the spark when those eyes met Toni’s and the girl grinned. “So, _so_ glad.”

It took everything Toni had not to let go of Darcy’s hand and reach out to pinch her cheeks. Instead, she managed to restrain herself to the usual flirting that came as naturally as breathing. “Oh, sweetheart, the pleasure’s all mine, I assure you.”

The blush that filled Darcy’s cheeks was satisfying. As was the way she didn’t let it deter from her leer or her smile in the least bit. Yeah, they were going to get along fine.

Still smiling, Toni let go of Darcy and held her hand out to Jane next. “Dr. Foster.”

“Dr. Strange.”

Hearing that had Toni stifling a laugh. God, that was going to take some getting used to! Not right now, though. Toni let out a low chuckle as she drew her hand back. “Oh, God, none of that, please. Two doctors in the family and Stephy got his first. Every time someone says it I start looking for my brother everywhere. Trust me, so _not_ the mindset someone wants to be in when they’re meeting two gorgeous women. Or doing business.” The way that Darcy grinned – and Jane blushed – only made Toni laugh again.

“I like you,” Darcy declared.

“Good, because I’m already pretty fond of you.” And oh, God, Toni had been spending way too much time with Loki, it seemed. _Pretty fond_. His stupid posh speech was rubbing off on her. _Heaven forbid_.

Followed quickly on the tail of that thought was the reminder that Loki was actually sitting not that far away – and that Toni had to introduce them all. It was almost enough to wipe away her grin and trade it for a grimace. Only training kept that from happening. There was no real putting this off, either. They needed to be able to sit down so that they could talk, and sitting down meant they’d be right there with Loki.

Best to be at least a little blunt about this. Toni wasn’t exactly the most tactful of people anyway and attempting only ever seemed to get her in more trouble. This might be another one of those moments that was best treated like ripping off a band-aid. Fast – get the pain over with quickly.

Toni stood up a little straighter and squared her shoulders. She planted her feet just a bit, and – though she didn’t realize it – readied herself to move into a defensive posture. Her eyes sharpened a little as well. It took the normally gentle or mischievous look and made her actually come off as dangerous. Prepping herself, Toni drew in a deep breath and hoped that this whole situation didn’t go horribly wrong. “Okay, so, before we go sit down, there’s something you should know. I brought a guest with me – someone who’s going to be a part of our team, and whose cooperation has been invaluable.”

“That’s fine,” Jane said slowly, her eyes darting behind Toni as if she’d be able to see who this person was, and then back to Toni’s face. “I brought Darcy along. I don’t mind that you brought someone.”

“Let’s hope you still feel that way in a minute.”

There was no more putting it off. Toni could only lead the ladies over there and hope the whole thing didn’t go pear-shaped.

She could tell the instant that her companions were finally able to see who was sitting there waiting for them. There was a tension in the air that was palpable. Toni didn’t turn around to look at them until she reached the booth and Loki was rising to his feet. Stopping at his side, she smiled up at him and leaned in close enough for their arms to brush, and then she turned to face Jane and Darcy. Jane looked a little pale, a little nervous, but not surprised. _So, Thor_ did _talk to her then. I’d wondered._ It kind of made sense for him to tell his ‘Lady Jane’ some things. Beside her, Darcy was openly gaping with a sort of fangirl light on her face that was almost enough to make Toni laugh.

Loki, ever the prince, sketched a short bow to the two women. “Lady Jane, Lady Darcy. You’re looking quite well.”

“Compared to the last time you saw us?” Jane fired back.

Oooh, she had fire to her underneath that shy exterior! Toni approved of that. She’d always liked feisty people. They were more fun to deal with.

One corner of Loki’s lips quirked up. “Indeed.” That was all he gave – nothing more. The way he continued to smile and the mirth that danced in his eyes made it clear that was a deliberate move. He just couldn’t resist riling up the people around him.

“Holy shit.” That was Darcy; low and fervent, and just a bit excited. “You’re Loki. Like, the actual Loki. Thor’s brother.”

A hint of a grimace touched Loki’s features. He didn’t protest the title of _brother_ , though, which was a step up in Toni’s books.

With a skill born of quite a bit of practice, not all of it from her company, Toni stepped into the middle of what was a potential minefield and flashed everyone a bright smile meant to charm and relax. “Since we all know one another, why don’t we go ahead and have a seat? If what I’ve been smelling is any indicator, the food here is going to be amazing, and I’m more than ready for a bite to eat. Negotiations and interrogations always go better over a meal, don’t you think?”

They all ended up seated in the booth. Toni and Loki were side-by-side, with Toni on the inside. Across from her sat Jane, with Darcy seated across from Loki.

Jane only waited until they were settled, and their drink orders were taken, before she seemed to decide to just dive headfirst into everything. “Let me get this straight,” she said, folding her arms on the table and fixing Toni with a bright stare. “I get a call from Tony Stark telling me that he wants to help fund my research and that he’d also like my input on a team he’s putting together to ‘study the Bifrost,’ as he put it, and that team is… you two? Some girl I’ve never even heard of and _Loki_.”

“Sounds about right,” Toni said brightly. She folded her arms onto the table as well and matched Jane’s posture. “Judging by your face, I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that Thor caught you up on the recent truths they’ve learned back home about Loki and the Invasion. Truths that I helped them uncover, I might add, in case you were thinking I was unaware of the whole thing.”

“Mind control.” Jane’s eyes shot over towards Loki and then back towards Toni. “He wasn’t mind controlled when he sent that Destroyer here to kill Thor.”

The sound Loki made that that was somewhere between a snort and a scoff. It was utterly unlike any sound she’d heard from him before and was something Toni was determined to mock him for later. Sharp green eyes cut to Jane. “I was not trying to _kill_ Thor. I assure you, if I wanted that oaf dead, I have had ample opportunities to do so with far less risk of implications or consequences. While what happened to your town was regrettable, Dr. Foster, there were valid reasons behind it.” When she opened her mouth, clearly to ask what he meant, Loki held up one finger to silence her. “Reasons that you will have to ask Thor about himself. They are his to disclose should he so wish.”

Well, _that_ was definitely a story Toni needed to get more of later. Right now, though, she had more important things to focus on. “I’m not asking you to trust Loki, Dr. Foster. What I am asking is if you’re willing to put aside your personal issues with him to at least listen to what I have to say today.”

The two women shared a brief look between them that spoke volumes to their level of comfort with each other. Jane and Darcy exchanged quite a few words without ever actually saying anything. It was a phenomenon born of a good, solid friendship. Toni had experienced that with Jim many times.

Darcy was the one to turn back to them and speak first. She darted her eyes between them like she wasn’t quite sure which of them to speak to. In the end, she settled on Toni. “What reassurance do we have that he’s not gonna go all Loki smash on us?”

Her word choice startled a laugh out of Toni. It probably shouldn’t have been as funny as it was, especially since she knew Loki’s hesitance when it came to the Hulk, but that didn’t stop Toni from chuckling, or from grinning up at her lover. “Smashing isn’t really his style.”

“Indeed.” Loki’s voice was dryer than the desert. He caught Toni’s eye and sighed heavily. Then he turned back to the women. “If it makes you feel better, I’ve allowed Heimdall to see us with you right now, and at the mention of his name, I have no doubt he is watching us. If at any point you find yourselves concerned for your safety, or the safety of those around you, simply call out to Thor or to Heimdall. I am quite sure my _brother_ will have no issue showing up.”

“Make sure it’s for a good reason, though. For the most part, just step back and let me handle things. You shouldn’t need to do much work together at all.” Tossing her hair, Toni flashed them a smile that was all teeth and all threat. Maybe Jane and Darcy were right to be worried about Loki. They hadn’t exactly seen the best side of him, after all. But he was here with Toni, and he was Toni’s ally, and now he was her lover. Like hell if she wasn’t going to defend him.

Their conversation was cut off when their drinks finally arrived. Toni happily took the ice coffee that they brought out to her. She was very much _not_ jealous of the sangria that Darcy was enjoying. At least Loki and Jane hadn’t ordered alcohol. The only times Toni really found she missed the drinks were either when she was really, really low, or when she was in a social gathering like this and everyone had one. But Jane had a Diet Pepsi, and Loki was trying horchata.

Toni had already placed an order for a sampler tray to be brought out, with instructions for it to come out ten minutes after their drinks, so the server didn’t bother asking them if they wanted anything else. Just served the drinks and moved on.

Toni waited until they were out of earshot and then spoke again. “What do you think, Dr. Foster? Can you put aside your differences enough to work with us on this? If not, I get it. There’s no shame in saying no. We’ll be out of your hair in no time.” Of course, that would make this whole situation a whole lot shittier. They’d have to find another way to keep an eye on Jane and watch out for whatever was coming their way. But considering the history between Loki and Jane, there was just no way Toni was going to be able to force the two together. Jane _had_ to agree.

The other woman bit her bottom lip. She didn’t look at Loki anymore; she was watching Toni. “There’s something else here. Something you’re not telling me.”

Toni smiled and said nothing.

Sighing, Jane shook her head. Her eyes skated away from Toni to land on Loki. “I might not trust you, but Thor does. The way he talks, I get the feeling there’s not anyone out there he trusts more.”

“He has always been an idiot,” Loki said, bored and almost annoyed, though Toni could detect a faint hint of tightness that betrayed just how much those words meant to him.

Jane huffed out a laugh. “Yeah. But he’s our idiot.” All at once her tension melted away, and she gave him a smile that was only slightly hesitant. “If he trusts you that much, the least I can do is give you a chance to prove you’re worth it. As for working with you guys.” Again, she brought her focus to Toni, and it was more than a little amusing for Toni to realize that the look Jane was giving her was because, right now, she trusted Toni less than she trusted Loki. “I’m not going to agree to anything based off the vague information we’ve gotten so far. Especially since I get the feeling that most of it probably isn’t even true.”

 _Smart, smart woman_. Toni was glad to see her impressions of Jane hadn’t been wrong. The woman was someone that Toni was pretty sure she could get along with, given enough time. She was smart, quick, and brave enough to speak up even when she knew it probably wasn’t smart. Those were all traits Toni could respect. Because of that, she quickly changed her initial plan and went a different route instead. “It wasn’t all a lie. Tony has no problem funding your research, and he really does want to study the Bifrost. Between the three of us, I’m sure we could get some pretty good information together.”

“But…” Darcy drawled out.

“ _But_.” One corner of Toni’s lips quirked up. She took hold of her straw and stirred absently at her drink, looking up through her lashes at the two women across from her. “If Thor told you about Loki, and about his pardon, I’m assuming he told you some of how they got that information.”

From her side, Loki let out a low, warning “ _Arianna_ ,” that was meant for her ears alone. She ignored it, of course.

Jane was watching Toni a whole lot more carefully now. “Some. He said they got information from a reputable source.”

“Yep.” Grinning, Toni drew her straw out of her drink and sucked the dripping coffee off the end. Then she used it to point at herself. “Me. My family got their hands on some rather important information through magical means I’m not all that fond of, because they break every known law of physics. But it boils down to us having some information we wouldn’t normally have otherwise. Like Loki’s relative innocence in the Invasion, plus a few other key events. It’s those events that brought us to you.”

“Me?!” Jane said. Her eyebrows shot up, and the look on her face was clearly asking if they were crazy.

Lowering her straw back into her drink, and nodding, Toni continued on calmly. “Yes, you. We’re almost positive that your research is going to lead you somewhere soon where you’re going to encounter something extremely important. A thing that’s going to start off a chain of events with a few things in it that we’d really, _really_ like to stop.”

“What thing?”

There was just enough curiosity in Jane’s tone to tell Toni that they had her. She might not have admitted it yet, even to herself, but they _had her_.

A slow smirk curved Toni’s lips. “Tell me, Dr. Foster – what do you know about Infinity Stones?”

* * *

Explaining to Jane about Infinity Stones took longer than the duration of a meal. She wasn’t an average person who’d accept simple answers for something as big as those. Each question she asked was sharp, curious, and insightful, and she drew Toni in with each one. Loki, too, though he might’ve been more reluctant to admit it.

Eventually, the discussion got deep enough that it wasn’t suitable to carry on in such a public place. Jane unhesitatingly invited them to the place that, Toni learned, _Tony_ had paid for. It was part of his agreement with them to get them to stay here, close to the Bifrost site. On says Not that she really cared.

It was just a three bedroom house, not too big. Cozy enough for Jane and Darcy to be comfortable – which meant Pepper had likely helped pick it out. But the garage workshop was a clear sign that Tony had been involved. There was everything in there a scientist like Jane needed to continue her studies.

That was the place they relocated to. There, they got even deeper into the discussion of Infinity Stones, and the Aether, and how they might somehow be able to make something to help track them down. If they could track down the Aether, there was a chance they could stop a whole lot of stuff from going down. They might be able to better contain it and keep it out of the reach of not only the Dark Elves but Thanos as well.

Jane took the information about Thanos in stride. Thor had already hinted to her that there was someone bigger behind Loki’s invasion. The name meant nothing to her, though. Just a name to put to the big bad they were going to go up against.

At some point, while the two scientists discussed ways to track the energy of Infinity Stones, Loki had snapped up a change of clothes for Toni. He didn’t bother giving her things to change into. He simply changed the ones she was wearing into a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a dark green shirt. The only real attention she paid it was to snort over the color choice and to stretch up to kiss him. A stretch that wasn’t too far – he’d left her in her heels.

Then Toni was diving back in with Jane, and the two were lost once more.

Loki and Darcy exchanged looks of amusement as their respective geniuses devolved into the kind of technobabble that even Loki found himself having to think to keep up with.

How on earth they got from Infinity Stones to Toni somehow climbing underneath the hood of Jane’s truck was a mystery. They’d been discussing the Stones, and then the Bifrost, and various devices, and Toni knew they’d been poking at one another to see what the other was capable of, but she still wasn’t sure how she’d ended up here.

Either way, she was under the hood, and what she found there was an unmitigated _disaster_. “How?” The word came out choked and just a bit broken. Toni drew her head back and shot Jane a glare. “How on earth do you even get this thing to _run_?”

Jane shrugged at her. “I don’t know? It gets us point A to point B, and that’s all that’s ever really mattered to me.”

The sound Toni made was low and full of pain. “He’s an old truck, but he’s got character! If you treated him right, he’d get you anywhere.” She turned back around and pet a hand across the truck. “Shh, baby, don’t you listen to that mean old lady over there. You just relax and let me take care of you, hm? We’ll have you rumbling like the bear you are in no time!”

“She does realize she’s talking to a truck, right?” Jane murmured as Toni dropped her head back under the hood.

Amusement stole across Loki’s face. It softened his features and brought an honest smile ghosting over his lips. “Arianna has a certain place in her heart for anything mechanical. They are all quite dear to her.”

“It’s kinda hot,” Darcy chimed in. At Jane’s chiding look, she grinned. “What? I don’t care how straight you are, Jane, you gotta admit she’s gorgeous. I mean, _look_ at her!” One hand flung up to gesture towards Toni.

The woman in question was bent over so she could stretch to reach for whatever it was she needed. Her shorts were riding almost indecently high, a fact Toni didn’t seem to notice, and tanned legs were clearly on display. Loki had no shame whatsoever in watching the show in front of him. Neither, it seemed, did Darcy. She caught Loki’s eye and winked at him before mouthing _Way to go, man!_

In short order, Toni got Jane’s truck running for her, and they also managed to talk about a few various ideas for prototypes to help them track down Infinity Stones. Getting Jane’s input had been invaluable. There was a lot she knew that Toni needed to work on catching up on.

Eventually, Darcy had to step in and break the two apart. “You guys need to take a break and do normal, human things. Like eating and sleeping.”

Toni scoffed at her. Who needed to take breaks for things like that? “I slept last night, and I ate a few hours ago!” That was a whole lot better than she normally did.

Darcy looked over to Loki for help, clearly expecting him to wrangle his own genius, only to find him leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smirk on his lips. At the pointed look and the slightly exasperated noise she sent his way – as well as a few eye gestures towards Toni – which only earned her an even bigger smirk, Darcy threw up her hands. “You’re all terrible people,” she declared firmly.

Almost identical grins lit up Toni and Loki’s faces. “Thanks!” Toni said cheerfully. “It’s kind of a natural talent. You’ll get used to it.”

At the sound that drew out of Darcy, something which Toni wasn’t quite sure even how to describe except both frustrated and annoyed, it seemed that Loki decided to take pity on her. He was chuckling when he pushed away from the wall and strolled towards Toni. “Perhaps we should come back in the morning, my dear. I believe we have enough to tide even your mind over until then.” When he reached her, he placed a hand in the small of her back and let his fingers press in just a little. His gaze was heated as he looked down at her. “Or perhaps we can distract you in a much more enjoyable way.”

That was probably the only kind of offer that might’ve distracted Toni right then. On the one hand – science! But on the other – Loki. _Hard choice_.

Toni’s eyes were bright with mirth when she looked up at the other two women. “Sorry guys, looks like I’ve suddenly got other plans. Why don’t we reconvene in the morning once you’ve had some time to process everything? Say, ten o’clock? Sound good to everyone?” Toni didn’t give either woman a chance to answer. She clapped her hands together and straightened the rest of the way up. “Good! Right then, you two have a good night, and we’ll see you tomorrow!”

The sound of Toni’s laughter was still echoing around them even as the two faded away.

Darcy watched the spot the two had just been with a wistful look on her face. “Oh man, what I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall in that room. Or in the middle of that sandwich.”

Jane’s squealed out “Darcy!” had the young woman grinning.


	10. Chapter 10

Working with Jane Foster proved to be a lot more enjoyable than Toni had anticipated it being. Initially, she and Loki had planned on staying a week, maybe two at most, and then going back to the house to work on their end of things while they left Jane working on her end. Those plans hadn’t taken into account just how drawn into things Toni got.

It quickly became common for Toni and Jane to sequester themselves away in the garage workshop and spend most of the day working on trying to gather enough data and piece it all together in a way that they might be able to build some working prototype to help them locate Infinity Stones. At the moment, that was the most important thing of all.

In the back of Toni’s mind sat the thought that all they really needed to do was _wait_ , and they’d have an Infinity Stone to test things on. But doing that meant allowing Jane to find it, as she had in the original timeline, and letting it almost kill her. That was something that Toni very much wanted to prevent. Especially as she got to know Jane better and better and found herself really enjoying the woman’s company.

Jane was a scientist through and through. Her focus was on her science, and sometimes there was little else that managed to capture her notice. Science sucked her in and tended to shut off the rest of the world around her. That was a trait Toni both understood and respected. But she was discovering that Jane was also kind, and sweet, and had a bit of a temper inside. She wasn’t fearless, yet she didn’t let her fear stop her from saying or doing what she thought was right.

In a lot of ways, she reminded Toni of Bruce. Or, the Bruce that Toni had gotten to see down in the labs, not the one the rest of the world got to see. More than once Toni found herself thinking that Jane and Bruce would probably get along really, really well.

As the two women grew closer, working together more and more, Darcy and Loki seemed to be growing close as well. Whether they were bonding over their cooking skills, or Loki’s growing amusement with pop culture – which Darcy was having way too much fun helping Loki learn about, in Toni’s opinion – or over their genius-wrangling skills, they had formed a friendship that Toni couldn’t help but smile to see.

There was a small part of her that was just a tiny bit jealous, which Toni hated because she was _not_ that petty. She’d always been infuriated in the past – back when she’d been Tony and not Toni – when people assumed that any female friend that Toni had was someone she was screwing. Especially when she was with Pepper. Loyalty was something that Toni had in spades, and cheating, at least on her side, had never been done.

Looking at Loki and Darcy laughing together, seeing him smile at her, had Toni’s stomach twisting around a little bit in an emotion she refused to admit to herself really was jealousy. What right would she even have to be jealous anyway? She and Loki weren’t _dating_. They were _fucking_. That was a huge difference.

That didn’t stop that tiny, petty part of her from being happy when Loki would come over and pull her up to whisk her away each night, however.

When they’d realized just how long this might take, and how much work both Toni and Jane were going to have to put in, it’d been decided that staying at a hotel really wasn’t going to work for Toni. So she and Loki teleported to the house each morning, and Loki brought them back each night. He didn’t seem to mind, and it worked out well for them. Toni got to spend her days doing science, her evenings in her lab, and her nights in the bed of a very enthusiastic and very talented god. Despite the shitty things happening around her, life was looking pretty good for Toni.

* * *

They were just two weeks away from the Convergence when one of Toni’s other plans started to come together.

She had so many different things going any once, so many rods in the fire, it was sometimes difficult to judge them. Toni didn’t forget about things, but she had to prioritize some stuff over others. Right at the moment, the Convergence was the most important upcoming event, and almost all of Toni’s focus was on that. What little time she had to spare, she often spent checking on everything else, because Toni was a futurist at heart and focusing on the future was what she _did_. But sometimes those things got pushed to the side a bit to make room for the more immediate threats. Finding the Aether before it could hurt Jane, stopping a chain of events that would result in an attack on Asgard and the death of the Allmother, those were pretty damn big things.

Still, Toni had JARVIS to help her keep an eye on things, which meant that Toni was alerted the instant that Laura Barton arrived at Stark Tower, children in tow.

A broad grin stretched its way over Toni’s face. She straightened up from the small start of a prototype in her hands and just _beamed_. “Hot damn, J! That’s the best news I’ve heard all day!”

“I try, Ma’am,” JARVIS said, a smile clear in his voice.

The sound of Loki clearing his throat reminded Toni that she wasn’t alone in her workshop. She looked across the table to where the trickster sat. He had his hands buried in holograms, sorting through some of what Toni and Jane had come up with and adding in his own views and numbers to better help them, seeing as how he had a bit more understanding about this kind of magic than they did. Toni and JARVIS’s conversation had brought him to a stop and had him watching her, one eyebrow arched up. “You seem quite excited by the arrival of the Hawk’s wife.”

Those words reminded Toni that this man here was someone who’d been inside the head of Clint Barton. Hell, he probably knew more about Clint than anyone else out there. No real surprise that he knew who Laura was.

What _was_ a surprise was the hint of protectiveness in Loki’s tone.

Toni hid her curiosity underneath a smile. “I am!” Lifting the bits of wires she held, she used them to gesture as she spoke, adding that bit of extra emphasis to her words. “Everything I’ve heard and come across about Laura Barton says she’s a damn good psychologist. SHIELD employed her once upon a time, and they were pissed about letting her go. Not only that, but she’s also a mother, a kind person, and someone that Clint told me once is a _fixer_. She can’t see a problem without trying to fix it. Right now, that kind of person is _exactly_ the type of person the Avengers needs.”

There was more to it than that. Toni remembered talking to Laura Barton in the original timeline. After the Accords, after the Rogue Avengers ran away, it’d been Toni who had gotten Laura and the kids hid safely. It’d also been Toni who had helped Scott and Clint take a deal and get back to their families. Laura had also been the one to act as Toni’s psychologist quite a bit after that. Through video calls, the two had spoken often. Laura was the only reason that Toni hadn’t broken down completely long before Thanos ever showed up. She was the reason that Toni had been even just the tiniest bit sane.

With Laura at the Tower, the chance of things going down the path they’d been down before was exponentially lower. Laura wouldn’t let team dynamics break apart. She’d find a way to insert herself there, to make friends with everyone because that’s just who she was, and she’d also end up with a job as well. One that Toni and JARVIS had taken care of setting up, and which it seemed Laura had finally decided to accept.

Tony probably wouldn’t be too happy about it, but Toni didn’t care. He’d get over it. She gave it one meeting with Laura, maybe two, and that woman would have Tony wrapped around her pinky finger.

It felt like a weight had lifted off of Toni’s shoulders. She knew that things weren’t suddenly going to be perfect. The team would still have issues, still have things that were going to crop up and create trouble. The issues that had existed in Toni’s timeline were still here in this one, after all. Only now, they had a chance of being addressed _before_ they blew up in all their faces.

With Laura there to help, and the Mandarin taken care of, all Toni needed to do was make sure that Ultron never happened, and some of the big things that had widened the fractures in the Avengers – instead of healing them – wouldn’t be around. Maybe this time they’d find a way to be a team. Maybe this time, they’d be able to be the family that Toni had always hoped they could be. _Even if I still can’t be a part of it. At least one version of me is going to get some kind of happy ending._

When Toni blinked away those thoughts and the grief that came with them, she found Loki watching her, and the amount of heat that she saw in his gaze was a bit of a surprise. Not near as much of a surprise as when he slowly pushed away the holograms, eyes locking onto her as he calmly said: “Unless you have serious protest, I’d quite like to strip you down and use my mouth on you until you’re sobbing for it, and then I’d like to fuck you right here on this table.”

“Oh.” Heat hit Toni’s gut like a fist. That kind of blatant desire was something she was still trying to get used to. But, what a hell of a wonderful thing to have to adjust to. “No, ah, no protests here.”

The heat in Loki’s eyes burned that much brighter at her stammered agreement. “Good.”

Toni had just enough time to set her prototype off to the side where it wouldn’t get knocked over or broken. Then, she was too busy trying not to be burned alive under the combined heat of their desire to worry about much of anything else, as Loki made good on every single word he’d said.

* * *

They were t-minus one week until the Convergence when everything finally decided to go to hell in one giant, flaming handbasket.

So far, Toni had been surprised by the fact that Jane hadn’t gotten any call to head to London, nor had she shown any signs of wanting to go there. Selvig hadn’t contacted her at all. When Toni asked JARVIS to look into the man, she found that he was in a psychiatric hospital, not alert and ranting like she’d expected, but calmly sedated. According to the patient files, a visit from an ‘old friend’ seemed to have done wonders for their patient who was finally responding to both medication and to therapy.

One look at security footage told Toni who that old friend was.

She didn’t bring it up. What was the point? Toni knew what Loki had done. She could see it on the video, and she could see it in his eyes each time any talk of the Invasion came up. The guilt there, the regret, the need to _fix it_ – those were things Toni knew well. She wasn’t going to begrudge the man his methods.

However, that had meant that Selvig likely wasn’t going to call Jane to London, and London had been where Jane had found the Aether. By changing these little things, had Toni and Loki managed to change the bigger events? Had they managed to actually stop this just by the simple act of keeping Jane away from London?

 _Yeah, right_. Toni should’ve known better. She should’ve remembered that life had a way of kicking her in the ass, and she should’ve remembered Stephen’s warnings that some events _couldn’t_ be changed. Some would find a way to happen, no matter what Toni did to stop them. Jane finding the Aether looked to be one of those events.

Toni was in the middle of a video conference with Tony when everything started to fall apart. The two were checking in, each seeing how the other was doing. Tony wanted updates on the project with Jane, while Toni was curious what life was like now that Toni and Pepper had come back to the Tower. She wanted to know how Laura was settling in.

“She’s great,” Tony told her, the smile he wore giving truth to his words, while the shake of his head showed his amusement with it. He shot her a slanted look full of fake annoyance. “Of course, it would’ve been nice to know she was coming before she showed up at the Tower, suddenly and magically employed by _me_ even though I had no idea how that happened or the fact that she even existed _at all_. So far, everyone’s willing to believe Pep pulled it off somehow, and she’s not telling her sources.”

“So, they’re thinking JARVIS,” Toni said.

A half-smile flashed over Tony’s features, with just a hint of sadness. “Yep.”

He didn’t have to say anything else. Toni knew how that would go. The residents of the tower would assume that this meant JARVIS had been spying on them even more than they’d anticipated. It also likely meant that they’d be even more uncomfortable around him now, or that they’d be getting upset with Tony for not respecting their privacy. They might even think that Tony and JARVIS had actually gone out and dug into their pasts to deliberately find out secrets. If they thought that, they’d be beyond upset with Tony and JARVIS, and life in the tower would get only more awkward.

Hopefully, Laura’s presence would help mitigate that a bit. “What does Dr. Barton think?”

“I don’t know?” Tony shrugged one shoulder with false casualness. Little wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes. “If they’ve mentioned it to her, it’s not where I’ve heard it, and JARVIS doesn’t listen in on any of her sessions. We set up a “Doctor/Patient Blackout” protocol.”

If Toni knew anything about Laura Barton, the woman was probably pretty aware of what was going on. There wasn’t much that she missed. That also meant that she’d be handling it in her own way. Which also meant that Toni didn’t have to worry about it too much. She trusted Laura as a person and as a doctor. She’d take care of the tower and its inhabitants.

Just as Toni opened her mouth to say something along those lines, reassure Tony somehow, their conversation was cut off by JARVIS. An alert popped up on one of the side screens even as JARVIS started to speak. “Ma’am, you have an incoming call from Ms. Darcy. It sounds quite urgent.”

What the hell would Darcy need to call for that was urgent? Toni was already sitting up straighter, her masks slipping into place to try and hide the worry that was churning in her gut. She looked at the video screen with Tony, and she didn’t have to say anything. He gave her a small nod and then signed off on his end. The trust there – trust that she’d tell him later, that she’d call if she needed him – all of that was conveyed in that nod, and it made Toni love him a little more.

Then her focus was on the phone call that JARVIS was now piping through the speakers. “ _Doc Ari_?”

“What’s wrong?” Toni asked immediately. It didn’t take a genius to hear the panic that was laced through Darcy’s voice.

“ _Jane’s missing_ ,” Darcy blurted out. The panic grew and grew with each word that passed her lips, turning her usual chatty self into a babbling mess. “We were just checking out these anomalies that gave off readings similar to the Bifrost or whatever, and Jane touched one of them and she just, she vanished, and I’ve got no idea where she went to, Doc! I didn’t want to touch it, too, just in case, so I grabbed my phone and called you.”

Even as Darcy was talking, Toni was already moving. This was the moment she’d been waiting for. It would seem that not going to London hadn’t changed anything. Things had found a way to happen _here_ instead. Toni took in the new information and added it to the plans and things that were already in her head, mentally adjusting them to fit the new parameters.

“Take a deep breath, Darce. You did the right thing,” Toni reassured her. “Now, I want you to stay right where you are so I can get a location off your phone, and I’ll have Loki bring me right out there, got it?”

“ _Got it. Thanks, Doc Ari._ ”

Toni flashed a grin she knew Darcy wouldn’t be able to see. “You bet your sweet ass, hon. Be there in two shakes!”

The phone call had barely ended when everything about Toni transformed. Her easygoing smile washed away, to be replaced with something harder and a whole lot more dangerous. “JARVIS, get Loki down here for me, let him know what’s going on. Then let Tony know to be prepared, things are starting to kick into gear.” As she reached the counter where she’d been upgrading her bracelets, Toni grabbed them and pulled them on. This was for her newest suit; her baby, in a way. It was prepped for a lot of things – _including_ space travel. Or, at least, she hoped. The only real data she had on space travel came from her memories and from the readings she’d convinced Loki to get by taking certain things out into space for her.

They’d just settled not place when Loki appeared beside her. He was dressed for trouble in his Asgardian leathers, only they were a bit different than they’d once been. Not as ostentatious, for one. The horned helmet was nowhere in sight. The leather – was that just her very vivid imagination, or was it a bit more form-fitting, clinging in all the right places?

There were none of the gold pieces that Toni remembered from the battle outfit he’d worn in the invasion. Instead, this was a black leather bodysuit, with black boots that buttoned up to the knee. Over it all was a jacket style that Toni had happily taken off of Loki before, so she knew how it was more than just a jacket. How the front of what looked to be a shirt was really a part of the coat, and how it tied to the inside of the coat, giving it a double-layered look.

The coat as well, only here, there were hints of dark green on the outside, with silver taking the place of where gold had been before. Also, as she looked closer, Toni could see bits of blue in there as well – in the inner lining of the coat, on the shoulders where a cape could connect, even drawn like lace – or like a magnified snowflake, even – through the vambraces strapped to each arm. It was all there, but all very subtle. Loki was wearing his own green, but he was making a statement. Showing a part of his heritage that, so far, he’d only denied.

Toni knew it was way the wrong time for this, yet she couldn’t quite keep from smirking at him and making damn sure he saw the appreciation in her eyes.

It was worth it for the way that he relaxed ever-so-slightly and smiled back at her. A real smile, too, not a smirk. “Later, darling.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Toni promised him. She wiggled her eyebrows up at him. “I’m going to enjoy peeling you out of all that.”

Loki’s smile grew, and Toni felt a something clench inside of her. A sensation that had been growing far too common recently. One that she ruthlessly shoved down to think about, oh, _never_.

To cover it, Toni beamed brightly at him. “Ready to go kick some ass, babe?”

Seidr leapt to life in Loki’s eyes, making him that much more beautiful, and that much more dangerous. “Lead the way, my dear.”

* * *

It was only ten minutes after Darcy called them that Toni and Loki arrived on scene – an empty expanse of land that was really just hills, dirt, rocks, and a really shitty excuse for a road. Though, as Toni quickly came to discover, they hadn’t really needed to hurry. There didn’t seem to be a damn thing they could do but wait. Wait, keep Darcy calm, and take as many readings as humanly possible. Toni was a scientist too, after all, and she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity right there in front of her to study something that she might never again get the chance to see.

Loki wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of Toni trying to study the anomaly that had taken Jane from them, but he was resigned to it. Darcy wasn’t quite as blasé about it.

“That thing just stole Jane away like, like she just _apparated_ or something, and you want to go _poking at it_?” Darcy demanded. She had her hands on her hips and was glaring at Toni like she was sure Toni had somehow lost her mind. It was a look Toni was familiar with. Plenty of people had looked at her that way over the years. “What is it with you sciencey types? Does your common sense go away to make room for all the rest of your smarts?”

From where she was kneeling near the portal, or whatever exactly this was that had taken Jane, Toni tipped her head up and flashed Darcy her brightest grin. “Sure does! Right alongside memory for those stupid things like sleeping and eating. That’s why we get people like you two.” She tipped a wink Loki’s way as well, getting a headshake in return.

While Darcy had been lecturing, Loki had been making a phone call. Now he was making his way back over to them. When he reached Darcy’s side, he put a hand on her shoulder, and it was a sign of how far they’d come that Darcy didn’t flinch from it. “It is our burden, to care for those less fortunate, Lady Darcy. We shall keep them safe from themselves.” That said, he looked down at Toni, amusement showing in the wrinkles around his eyes. It didn’t do enough to hide the worry in their depths, though. “Thor is on his way and should be here shortly. I’ve also taken the liberty of notifying your brother, who will be waiting should we need him. Your…” a brief hesitation, a small flick of his eyes to Darcy, “…twin is also ready, should his assistance be needed.”

Toni nodded her head. “Good, good.” Everything was in order, then. Strange as it was, Toni didn’t have to worry about it, didn’t have to keep on trying to hold on to all the little details and make sure that everything went according to plan. She had someone with her who could help take care of that. Realizing that, Toni beamed up at him, and she was rewarded with a warm smile in return.

The next few hours were spent lost in a haze of science. Numbers and facts took up Toni’s brain. She paid little attention to anything else. Not even Thor’s arrival merited more than a vague ‘Hey, Zeus, how're tricks?” that she didn’t even listen to the answer to.

Faintly, she heard Thor murmur “Is she quite all right, brother?” followed by the low, soothing murmur of Loki’s voice.

Reality came crashing back in with a suddenness that startled the group. All the machinery around Toni suddenly came to life, beeping and whistling with an intensity that sent everyone silent, and the readings went off the chart. Toni leaned in to get a closer look, only to get caught by a sudden arm around her waist. She found herself being pulled backward by Loki’s firm hold even as the air in front of them began to ripple.

In the next instant, Jane Foster came stumbling out of thin air and down to her knees on the hard, rocky ground.

“Jane!” Darcy darted forward before Thor could move, hands out for her friend even before she dropped down to the ground beside her. She caught hold of Jane’s arms, helping to brace and pull her upright. “Oh my God, Jane, you’re okay! Are you okay?”

“Darcy?” Jane looked around as she stood, and her eyes easily caught Toni and Loki nearby. The sight of them had Jane’s eyebrows going up. “Arianna? Loki? What’re you two doing here?”

Then Thor stepped out, and it was like the rest of them didn’t exist anymore. Jane’s whole being was focused directly on the god coming towards her in a way that made Toni’s heart clench. The way that Jane looked at Thor, how he looked at her, it spoke of a love that not even Toni’s cynical heart could deny. Thor was smiling even with worry clear in his eyes, and everything about Jane just _lit up_. She broke free from Darcy to rush right to him, where Thor easily caught her up in his arms, dragging her in close and folding her in his arms. “ _Jane_.”

The moment felt too intimate to watch. Toni turned her head, and though Loki didn’t let go of her, he lifted his arm just enough that she was able to turn in to him. They ended up with Toni tucked up against his side, one hand resting on his stomach and her face briefly pressed in the space between his arm and his side. Bless him, Loki didn’t call her on it. He just pressed a soft kiss against the top of her head. Toni stayed where she was, soaking up the comfort of the position. She didn’t want to think about the clear sounds of kissing she could hear behind her or the way it made her feel. Instead, she needed to focus on what she could. “Does she have it?” Toni murmured gently.

Another kiss was pressed to her hair, and then he gave a soft nod.

So. It’d really started. All of it was coming together, and the theories that Toni had tried to plan for were going to become a reality. Before, everything had been just facts, information that Toni could poke at and try to twist to what she needed it to be. But it’d become more than that. She’d gotten close to Jane, to Darcy – to Loki.

This had stopped being a matter of helping Loki keep his mom safe and getting hold of the Reality Stone that made up the Aether, and it’d become more about protecting a woman that Toni had come to call friend, and the mother of a man she cared for a whole lot more than she liked to admit.

Those revelations had Toni pressing in a little tighter for just a moment against Loki. She breathed him in, let his familiar presence give her a bit of strength. Enough for her to push down all those things and calm the racing of her mind. Only when it was finally calm again, and she felt like she could breathe, did Toni break free.

When she looked up, Jane and Thor had broken apart, and Jane was once more looking around at them all, though she and Thor hadn’t completely let go of one another.

Jane looked back and forth between them all, clearly taking in the scene. Loki holding Toni close, his body curving so that Toni was kept as far away from the portal and Jane as possible, Toni not really fighting him, and even Darcy standing so cautious and clearly worried at her side, while Thor was keeping her close, his own worry clear. All of it had Jane narrowing her eyes at them. “What’s going on? What’re you all doing here? And why do you guys look like someone just died?”

“Jane, you were gone for _five hours_ ,” Darcy said.

Jane’s eyes went wide. “What?”

“You went through a portal,” Toni said, leaning forward but not breaking away from Loki’s hold. “Once you were gone, Darcy called us to come and take a look at things, and we’ve been studying it ever since, trying to figure out a way to get you back.”

Thor gave Jane a gentle squeeze. “They called me once they were aware, and I came to join them.” The lines on Thor’s face deepened, making him look much more serious. It was an expression that Toni wasn’t all that used to seeing on him. Then again, she wasn’t really used to seeing his whole _in love_ face, either.

They were only going to make that worse. There were certain things that Toni knew hadn’t been explained to Thor. What he was told, well, Toni had left that up to Loki. For all the protests he lodged at the use of the word, he and Thor were brothers, and he was clearly protective of the brother he still sometimes denied, just as Thor was protective of him. Information like this would be better received if Loki were the one delivering it.

He seemed to feel the same way. Keeping Toni close, Loki shifted his weight so he could better focus on Thor, and he gentled in the way that he still tried to deny doing when it came to his brother. “Lady Jane, Thor, there is more at risk here than just the portals of the Convergence beginning to open. While you were there, did you encounter anything, Jane? Anything strange?”

Jane looked back and forth between Thor and Loki, confused and unsure. “I uh, well, I mean I came across this… this light. And it, I don’t it, it sort of… grabbed at me?”

In contrast to the stunned look on Thor’s face, Loki nodded. “The Aether. Unlike other relics, which are often held inside of stones, the Aether is fluid, ever-changing. Because it does not have a container, it seeks out host bodies to hold it, and it draws from their energy to sustain them.” His eyes moved from Thor down to Jane, full of compassion and strength. “I can sense this power in you, Jane Foster. The Aether moves within your veins, and if we do not remove it… it _will_ kill you.”

“I will not let that happen,” Thor said fiercely. He drew Jane in even closer as if he could protect her from this threat with his very body. In his eyes, a hint of lightning crackled, open warning and threat.

Loki held his free hand out in a gesture of peace. “Calm, brother. While your devotion is admirable, your strength will do you no good here. This is a matter of magic beyond anything we can hope to control on our own.”

“We need to take her to Asgard,” Toni interjected, joining the conversation again. She flashed Jane a smile that she hoped was reassuring. “Feel like taking a trip?”


	11. Chapter 11

Of course, it wasn’t as easy as just saying that they were going. Jane wasn’t onboard with the idea. At least, not right away. She took a bit of convincing from both Loki and Thor. Toni stayed out of that part of things. She wasn’t going to get between a woman and her boyfriend. Let them hash it out. In the end, Toni knew which option was going to win, because was there really any doubt that Jane would say yes to going? The trip itself wasn’t her problem. No, her problem was the idea that she had something dangerous in her, something that they had to go to Asgard to fix, and “What can’t Loki just fix it here?”

Toni, who had finally broken free from Loki and was standing back a few feet with Darcy, watched the argument progress, raising one eyebrow at them. “Do they always argue like this?”

The other woman huffed. “You’ve got no idea.”

Eventually, when it sounded like they were debating the same point for about the third time, Toni decided that enough was enough. She was tired of standing here while everyone else argued. With a roll of her eyes, Toni gestured for Darcy to take a step back. Time to get this done and over with.

As Toni moved to join the still arguing group, the nanotech in her bracelets came to life, swarming up over her arms. She heard Darcy gasp behind her at the sight of it. Ignoring that, Toni focused on her lover, who was slowly turning towards her. “All right!” Toni called out, getting the attention of Thor and Jane as well. “Standing here arguing all day isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

The suit was halfway on her now, quickly forming, and Toni had just enough time to grin at them before the helmet came to life. By the time she reached Loki’s side, it was all in place. Though he couldn’t see it, her grin was huge when she tilted her head to look up at him. Toni knew what kind of image she painted here. Just as she knew how much she was giving away by calling up a suit at all.

Sure, there were differences between her suit and Tony’s. This suit was slimmer than Iron Man. More streamlined. Whereas Iron Man _now_ still had some of the bulkier parts, this design showed the growth that Toni had undergone. She’d learned how to slim down a lot of the suit. Take away what wasn’t necessary. The nanotech meant that she didn’t have to have some of the bulkier armor showing, either, unless she needed it. All of it was also shaped to fit over the body of a _woman_ , which showed in a few subtle ways.

Toni wasn’t stupid – she didn’t do the whole cliched chest armor that people seemed to always favor for women. That never made any sense to her. All that would do would be to encourage any blade, any blast, to slid along the chest plate until it hit the center, right over her heart. Why would she make something that did that? That was counterproductive! No, the whole chest plate design was the same as it would be were she still male. It was more… the lines of the suit itself were slimmer, and a bit more curved. Wider at the hips, a slightly narrower waist, a bit more rounded near the chest to account for what was underneath. It wasn’t just a flat surface from chest to bellybutton.

The coloring was different, too. Instead of red and gold, this one was done in a design of black, silver, and blue – Toni’s other favorite color. Ironic, really, considering who had ended up being her lover.

The idea that their suits were somewhat matching was enough to make Toni chuckle.

She didn’t give anyone time to recover from seeing her suit, or from her striding forward in it. With one hand, Toni reached up and took hold of the elbow that Loki immediately curved for her, and then she threw her head back and shouted up to the sky “Heimdall, open the Bifrost!”

“Lady Toni, what are you…?”

Thor’s voice was cut off by the light of the Bifrost flying down from the sky. Toni braced herself, hand steady on Loki’s arm, and she watched in awe as the Bifrost slammed into them in a ray of white, glittering light.

The suit sensors were screaming in her ears, and Toni was laughing, her whole body propelled up through a kaleidoscope of light and sound. The only anchor was Loki at her side, and it should’ve been terrifying, but, God! It was exhilarating!

Toni was still laughing when they finally landed. She stumbled only a little, Loki’s hands already there to keep her steady and stop her from tumbling down. Held against him, Toni dissolved the helmet, leaving her head free so that she could look up at him with the laughter bright on her smiling face. “Holy shit, I’ve got such a science boner right now. I want one, Lo. Do you think I can make one? I bet I could. Just a little bit of time, some of the readings from the suit, and I bet I could get something going. I just might need a bit of help getting some of the supplies…”

The green in Loki’s eyes seemed to be glowing a little brighter than normal. Any of the stress lines that had been there during the argument had faded away, and if Toni wasn’t mistaken, the way he was looking at her was with a sense of wide-eyed… _awe_. Shaking his head, Loki drew her in a little closer, pressing his body against the front of her suit without any hesitation. “My dear, you are absolutely magnificent.”

“Oh.” Color flooded Toni’s cheeks. Yet, she smiled, and she lifted a hand to pat against his chest. “You’re not so bad either, gorgeous.” That said, she darted up enough to press a quick and filthy kiss against his lips, and then she dropped back down and turned to face the rest of the crowd.

It looked like Thor and Jane were doing much the same as Loki and Toni had been. Thor was holding Jane close, and from the way his hands were running over her, either he was going to strip her down here in this big room, or he was checking her over to make sure she wasn’t injured. Toni was betting the second one. Thor was a bit more… tame, than Loki was.

Her attention next was caught on the big guy standing in the center of this domed room. He was tall – huge, really, compared to her – with dark skin, and eyes that glowed like the stars, and he was carrying the biggest sword Toni had ever seen. It was on the tip of her tongue to make a joke about overcompensation. Somehow, she managed to hold it back. Antagonizing this guy probably wasn’t the smartest of plans.

Instead, she broke away from Loki to step towards him, and she pulled on her brightest press smile. “You must be Heimdall, the big eye-in-the-sky.” Manners that had been bred into her by her mother, and further encouraged in business by her father, had Toni extending a hand when she got close. “Nice to finally meet you face to face. You’re a lot taller than I pictured.” A whole lot taller. Like, what on earth did they give the people up here to help them get so big? The top of Toni’s head didn’t even reach the man’s _armpit_.

Heimdall looked down at her, and for a moment Toni wasn’t sure what he was going to do. To her surprise, a faint smile ghosted over his lips, and he reached out to accept her handshake. “The pleasure is mine, Lady Stark.” Clasping her hand gently – she deliberately ignored how it looked like a child’s hand compared to his – he bent down low and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. Those cosmic eyes of his twinkled a little at her when he looked up from her hand. “You are exactly as small as I pictured you to be.”

Laughter bubbled up Toni’s throat. “I might like you. I didn’t think I would – and trust me, I’ve got a serious bone to pick with you. But now I’m thinking I just might like you.”

He let go of her hand to tuck his arm across his waist and execute a small bow. “I await our conversation, my lady.”

An arm sliding around her waist drew Toni’s focus from Heimdall, back down to Loki. He looked a little disgruntled, yet mostly amused, as he tucked her against his side. “Must you charm everyone you meet?”

“Rhodey calls it my superpower,” Toni said cheekily. “He always said that I either charmed the pants off someone or made an enemy for life.” All of a sudden, she caught sight of people coming towards them over Loki’s shoulder, and there was no doubt in her mind just who they were. A knot of nerves built down low in her stomach. “Let’s hope I can keep up the first one,” she murmured to Loki.

Toni drew away from the man at her side and straightened herself up. Not out of shame at the idea of being seen with him, but out of a need to stand on her own two feet. Toni Stark wasn’t the type to cower against anyone. Especially not in front of Odin Allfather, King of Asgard. The one major being up here that Toni was more than happy to dislike. Nothing she’d heard about the man had painted him in a good light. Not before, and not now.

They had an alliance, of sorts. Toni was allied with Loki, and through him, with Asgard. That meant something to people like this. It would affect how they treated her – she’d heard from Thor last time around how Jane had gotten upset when Odin referred to her as a goat – and Toni wasn’t above taking advantage of that. This was all politics, and that was something that Toni excelled at, even if she didn’t always put those skills to use. She at least knew how to when she wanted to.

For this, she gathered herself together and put on her best, most arrogant pose, aided in that by the suit. She lifted her chin and drew herself up to what little height she actually had compared to everyone here in giant-land. Everything about her demeanor changed.

Odin recognized it. The knowledge sat in his one eye as it ran over her; a clear assessment of who and what he was dealing with. The man might be quite the bastard by Toni’s terms, but he _was_ a king, and from all stories, he was a shrewd one, albeit one who was getting up there in years. He knew how to assess a potential enemy.

When Odin and his guards reached them, Toni didn’t bow as others might have. Instead, she greeted him standing tall on her feet, one royal to another. She met Odin’s gaze and refused to back down.

It was Loki who broke the silence. He moved to stand at Toni’s side, close but not touching, and he executed a small bow. “May I present Toni Stark, Princess of Midgard, and her companion, Lady Jane Foster.” Then he turned to Toni and bowed at her. “My lady, may I present Odin Allfather, King of Asgard, Ruler of the Nine Realms.”

Behind them, Toni heard Jane’s surprised breath, and the low furious whisper of “Did he just call her Toni Stark?”

All of that was ignored. Toni dipped her head regally. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. Though I wish we’d had the chance to meet under better terms.”

“As do I,” Odin agreed. His voice was deep, and it rumbled through the air around them, echoing with a hint of thunder and pounding hooves. _A war god, indeed_. “As ally to one Prince, and shield-sister to another, you are welcome in Asgard, though the tidings you bring are less so.”

Toni nodded her agreement. “Yeah, they are. I’m assuming tall and gorgeous gave you an update to what’s going on?” At Odin’s nod – and a slight wince for her language – she continued on. “Cool. So, you’re all caught up. I’m sorry for just barging in like this, but something like the Aether doesn’t need to be unleashed on earth, and the things that’ll come for it aren’t something people down there would be able to fight off on their own.”

“My wife already has chambers prepared for you and your lady, and our scholars have been working on a solution since Thor first brought us the news,” Odin told her. “For now, let us go to the palace so that you may get settled and rest. Until this is taken care of, there is no safe place for you to be.”

That was probably meant to be reassuring. Still, as Toni once more took hold of Loki’s arm to follow after Odin, and Thor and Jane fell into step in front of them, the genius couldn’t help but worry. So far, nothing they’d done had really stopped anything. All they’d been able to do was try and prepare. She had to hope that one of their plans would come through. Otherwise…

She glanced up at Loki’s calm face, emotion hidden underneath the mask of a prince, and Toni fought not to shudder. The alternative didn’t bear thinking about.

* * *

The walk across the rainbow bridge was shorter than it looked and full of sights that Toni normally would’ve been in awe over seeing. She’d always wanted her own chance to take a look around Asgard and see what all the fuss was about. After hearing about it from Thor so many times, she’d been interested. But now that she was here, she found she couldn’t enjoy it. Too many other thoughts were crowding her head.

When they finally reached the city, people were waiting all along the way to call out greetings to them. Thor’s name was shouted over and over, and there were even a few cheers. _No wonder he had such a fat head if this was how he grew up being treated_.

There were a few voices that called out to Loki as well, though nowhere near as many as there were for Thor. To Toni, that only made them all the more special, and she made a mental note of some of the groups that called out Loki’s name.

They passed through what must’ve been the market, with stalls and vendors set up here and there, and crowds of people clearing the way for them to come through. Here was where Toni started to finally perk up again and gain back some of the excitement she’d expected to have.

Toni curled her fingers a little more into Loki’s arm and let her eyes travel all around her, her press mask the only thing keeping her excitement from showing. It wasn’t enough to stop the way her eyes darted around, though, or the little squeezes she gave Loki’s arm when she saw something exciting. Loki clearly took note of it, and he smiled down at her, bending low enough to murmur in a voice pitched for her ears alone. “When everything is done, I will bring you down here and let you look your fill. I’m sure we can find some items to take back home with us.”

The way he said _home_ – and the fact that he used it for their little house, not for here – had something dancing its way through Toni’s stomach. All she could bring herself to do was smile brightly up at him.

Eventually, they made their way to the palace itself. Toni was struck this time by the sheer size of it, and the opulence that rivaled any palace she’d ever been inside of. From the giant, golden doors, to the flames burning along the walls, to the glowing gold that sat everyone, and even the gorgeous stone floors, the whole place was a mix of blatantly overdone wealth, and old-fashioned charm. This was the place that Loki and Thor had grown up in?

She could see it in her head – see a young Thor running down the long halls, red cape flowing, eyes and smile bright. But she could also see Loki, her dark-haired imp, darting here and there after his brother, alternating between playing in the light and hiding in the shadows. This place had helped shape him, helped to make him who he was, but it’d never _fit_ him. Toni looked around, and she saw nothing that she associated with a relaxed Loki. Not even in the gardens they’d passed through. She tried to picture the Loki she saw at home, the one who liked to lounge around and read books, sprawled out and taking up as much space as possible on any surface like some sort of cat – and she couldn’t do it. Not here.

The urge to lean in against him and rest her head on his arm was strong. Somehow, Toni held herself back, contenting herself with her hold on his arm. There was nothing she could do about the past. What’s done was done, and Loki was who he was because of it, both good and bad. All Toni could focus on was the future. And for now, that future included him in her home. A home she would always, always keep open to him, no matter what. She’d make damn sure that Loki knew he’d always have a home with her.

When Toni realized where her own thoughts had drifted, she almost lost her footing, just barely managing to keep herself from falling.

She ignored the worried look that Loki shot her or the questioning one from Jane. All of Toni’s focus was inward. Because she’d finally realized what that feeling in her stomach was. The one that sometimes twisted its way around her heart. The one that had her smiling up at Loki, and laughing with him, and sharing coffee and breakfast and even time down in the workshop with him. It was the thing that made her so happy to see him when she woke in the morning and had her seeking him out when things started to go wrong.

 _I love him_. Those words echoed through her with equal parts fear and joy. Toni felt them – had felt them for so long now, even without realizing it – and she wanted to laugh at the same time that she wanted to cry.

They’d gone into this as friends, with the firm knowledge that neither one of them had wanted anything more – unsure if they were even _capable_ of more. Toni should’ve remembered what Rhodey had always said about her. _“You never do anything halfway, Tones. I don’t think you know how. You just throw your all into it, and that’s how come you end up so hurt. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just… I wish people would recognize the gift you're giving them”_

Her internal monologue was cut off when they all came to a stop. Toni shoved down that moment of revelation, resolving to bring it out later – much, much later. Preferably when she was alone, and there was no one around to see her _freak the fuck out_.

When she looked up, she was surprised to realize that they’d lost Odin and his guard some time ago. Only Thor and Jane were with them still, and two guards leading the way.

It was one of the guards who stopped outside the door now like they were getting ready to take up post. The man’s gaze went to Thor, and it was him that he addressed. “These are the chambers the Allmother has prepared for our guests, Prince Thor.” He brought one fist up and pressed it over his heart in a sharp gesture. “I’ll be standing guard.”

By choosing to address Thor and not even look Toni’s way, the guard was clearly showing his loyalty, but he was also showing a world of disrespect. It was his silent way of making damn sure that Toni knew who he answered to. Add in the fact that his eyes made sure not to look at either Toni or Jane, and it also showed just what he thought of the humans in front of him. There were a lot of politics being played out in just a few short words and small gestures. Yet it was a game Toni had been playing for a long time.

She straightened herself up a little and flashed the guard one of her brightest smiles, with just an edge of condescension to it. “I’m sure they’ll do.”

Then, in a move meant to be just as insulting to them as he’d just been to her, Toni turned her back on all of them. She kept her hold on Loki’s arm with one hand, while her other hand came up to rest over his heart. “You gonna come find me later, gorgeous? Or am I gonna have to come hunt you down?”

To anyone else, Loki would’ve looked amused and fond as he looked down at Toni. Only those that knew him well would’ve been able to see the worry in his eyes. Bless him, though. He knew her well enough to know that Toni wasn’t going to talk about whatever might be wrong with her while they ran the risk of anyone being able to hear them. Those kinds of conversations happened best down in the lab, or in the privacy of their bed with the lights off and the house quiet. Skin to skin, lying in the dark, it was so much easier for Toni and Loki both to speak the things they wouldn’t usually say otherwise.

Loki didn’t comment on whatever he was worried about, or what he might’ve seen on her face. He just kept smiling that devious smirk, the one that promised so many wonderful things for later, and he reached up to curl his hand over hers, bringing it up off his chest to press a kiss against her knuckles. “I will come for you as soon as we’re settled, my dear.”

“You’d better.” Impulsively, Toni lifted up on her toes, grateful that she still had the suit on and it gave her at least an extra inch of height, even if that wasn’t much. Loki responded automatically. He bent down as she stretched up, and Toni was able to give him a perfectly filthy kiss.

When she pulled back, she winked at him, and then finally let go of him. “See you later, handsome.”

Toni caught sight of the amusement that Thor was just barely keeping hidden, and the shuttered look on Jane’s face, as she turned toward the room. The guard opened the door up just before Toni reached it, allowing her to simply stride inside, with Jane following only a second behind.

Once they were inside, and the door firmly shut behind them, Toni took in the room in a sort of abstract way. The room itself really was beautiful. Frigga, at least, had actually treated this like Toni was an important ally. A princess, just like Loki had tried to claim back there. These rooms were fit for any visiting royalty. There was a large sitting room with rather uncomfortable looking couches done up in reds and golds. Off to the left, a short, curving staircase that – after a quick peek – Toni saw led up to what had to be the equivalent of a master bedroom, complete with gigantic bed and even what she thought might be a balcony.

There was a private bathing chamber – something that Toni had heard enough stories to know wasn’t common, most used public baths – and also a second, smaller bedroom on the right side of the room. Likely a servant’s chambers, Toni was guessing, judging by the smaller bed and only one window.

When Toni pulled her head back out of there, she had a grin on her face and a quip ready to go, only to find Jane standing in the center of the room looking anything but amused. Toni didn’t even get a chance to ask what was going on. Jane just looked at her, arched an eyebrow, and said: “So… _Tony Stark?_ ”

“Ah.” Toni grimaced. She’d almost forgotten that in the midst of all this. Thor and Odin both had used her actual name. “Yes, well, that’s um, that’s a bit of a long story.”

Jane crossed her arms over her chest and leveled Toni was a glare that clearly said _I’m waiting_. “Looks like we’ve got time.”

True. And, after working together, and with the shit show they were now in, Jane deserved an honest answer. Toni had known there was a chance this moment would come once they had to deal with Asgard. There was no way she could expect a whole realm to keep her secret. She just… wished she’d better prepared herself for this.

Slowly, the suit began to bleed away, the nanotech sliding back to its housing containers. When it was clear, Toni stood in jeans and a t-shirt, looking smaller and just a bit sheepish. “Why don’t we have a seat? This is gonna take a bit.”

And that was how Toni spent her first afternoon on Asgard sitting across from a woman she’d begun to call friend, telling a story of living and dying and starting all over again.


	12. Chapter 12

It took hours for Toni to properly tell her story. Telling it to someone with a scientific mind like Jane’s only prolonged the time it took to get through everything.

By the time all was said and done, it’d probably been about three hours, and they’d moved past Toni’s story and some of the shock behind it and moved on instead to what was going on with Jane. Neither woman was all that great at patiently waiting for something. Being ushered off to these rooms and then told to wait, well – Toni was more than ready to go out and find someone and drag their asses back here for answers.

Jane wasn’t doing much better. “When are they going to come get us?” she asked, rubbing her hands together as she paced. It was a nervous tic that Toni had come to recognize. Jane was unsettled, and probably a bit scared. Not that Toni could blame her. “I mean, we’ve been here for hours. I thought for sure they’d want to take me to their healers, or, I don’t know, do _something_. But they’ve just left us in here!”

With a shrug that was far more casual than she felt, Toni tried not to let her own stress show in her tone. “I get the feeling Asgard does things at its own pace. A side effect of living as long as they all do.”

“They’ve got to know _something_ , though!”

“Why don’t we find out?”

In one smooth move, Toni pushed up off the chair she’d been sprawled out in, and she made her way over to the door. Seeing Jane’s stunned look was amusing enough to have Toni wanting to smile. More so when she heard the woman hiss out “Toni, what are you doing?”

“Getting some answers,” Toni told her easily. She reached the door and caught the handle, tugging it open. When Toni stepped outside, she was surprised to find a guard still standing at her door, albeit a different one than before. _Huh. Interesting. I wonder…_ Propping one shoulder against the doorframe, Toni crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at the tall guard. “I thought the last guy was just here to make sure we got here safely. But you, you’re different. Are you here to keep me in, or to keep people out?”

The guard turned, and Toni got a glimpse of the face inside the mask, giving her a glimpse of lightly tanned skin, dark brown almond-shaped eyes, and a mouth that was almost too naturally pouty to be taken seriously. The woman – and it was definitely a woman – had a beautiful yet serious face, and a nose that had clearly been broken once or twice. She was tall enough that Toni was pretty sure she was a bit taller than Loki, though not quite as tall as Heimdall, and either she was really well built, or her armor gave her extra bulk. All in all, she was someone that Toni wouldn’t have wanted to screw with if she were looking to cause trouble.

“My lady,” the woman said, bringing her hand up in the same gesture that Toni had seen the last guard do for Thor. The guard bowed ever so slightly as well when she did it. “Prince Loki sent me to watch over you in his absence.”

Loki had sent her, hm? Toni filed that little fact away, as well as the clear fondness in the woman’s tone when she spoke Loki’s name. Something that seemed kind of rare up here in this place. _This is someone who clearly cares for him. Judging by the fact that Loki sent her to guard us, it’s a pretty safe bet she’s loyal – either to him or just to the royal family. But she’s someone he feels like he can trust to watch out for us_. That said a lot about her. It also had Toni extremely curious. Cocking her head to the side, she gave the woman a once-over, taking in the same guard uniform that all of them seemed to wear up here. When her eyes reached the woman’s face again, she smirked, enjoying the brief flash of fire and annoyance in those eyes. “You got a name, sweetheart?”

There was a small twitch of the eye that showed her annoyance at the nickname. It only made Toni grin even more. “Eir,” she finally said, voice flat. “I am called Eir, my lady.” The way she said ‘my lady’ held a wealth of scorn in it.

“Cool.” Then, in a move that clearly surprised the guard, Toni pushed up off the doorframe and held her hand out towards Eir. “I’m Toni Stark, but please, call me Toni. None of this _my lady_ shit. You’re obviously someone Loki likes and trusts if he sent you down here to act as my guard, and I trust his judgment.”

Eir looked like she had no idea what to make of Toni. Her mouth had fallen open a little at Toni’s speech in clear shock. When Toni didn’t lower her hand, Eir finally lifted her own, reaching out and clasping, not Toni’s hand, but her forearm. _Oh, right – not Earthlings. I wonder if Asgardians shake hands normally?_ This was a hold she’d seen Thor and Loki do, and it seemed to be an Asgardian-warrior type thing. Hopefully, that was good. The last thing Toni wanted was to have accidentally offended Eir. If Toni was going to offend someone, she really tried to make sure it was done on purpose.

Hoping to mitigate any potential offense that she might’ve accidentally caused, Toni made her smile even brighter and gripped tight to Eir’s arm. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eir.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Toni.”

This time, the ‘lady’ didn’t sound like it was one step up from a curse.

The two broke their handshake, and Toni drew her arms back in, crossing them over her chest again. “So! Is there any chance of us finding out what’s going on anytime soon, or are we supposed to just cool our heels here all day long? Cause I should warn you guys, I’m not known for my patience. People make me wait too long, and I start getting _bored_.”

“Norns forbid we allow that to happen,” another voice chimed in.

Even as Toni started to turn, her smile was already softening into something warmer. It changed her expression entirely and brightened up her eyes in a look that Toni didn’t realize she was wearing, but Eir caught a glimpse of. “Loki!”  Toni was reaching out for him even as Loki reached her side. He accepted her touch and returned it by slipping his arm around her waist and drawing her in against him. It helped Toni boost herself up enough to press a kiss against his lips. When they pulled apart, Toni smirked at him. “Loki,” she repeated, putting a bit more of a sing-song tone into her voice. “I’m getting bo-o-ored.”

Crinkles appeared at the corners of Loki’s eyes. “Well then, it would appear I’ve arrived just in time.”

“ _Oooh_.” Toni pressed in and let her head tip back so that she could better flutter her lashes at him. “Doesn’t that just sound like the start to a good time?”

They might’ve been able to keep it up if it weren’t for Jane behind them grumbling out a low, “Oh Jesus” that had Toni breaking down and laughing. She tumbled against Loki’s chest and buried her face there, letting the laughter sweep through her. Things might’ve been chaotic then, and there might’ve been some serious trouble only just beginning, but at that moment with Loki’s arms around her and the warmth of fresh, new love in her heart, Toni was happier than she’d been in a very, _very_ long time.

Eventually, when she finally managed to stop giggling, she drew back. Loki was watching her with that same fond amusement she’d gotten used to seeing there. “Are you quite done?”

“For now. I reserve the right to continue at a later date.” Just because she could, Toni added a leer to that, which only caused the crinkles by Loki’s eyes to deepen.

Keeping one arm around her waist, Loki drew her more against his side, and he brought his focus up to include Jane in his next words. “My apologies for the wait, my ladies. I was going over the plans that the Allfather and the other mages have come up with to see which might be viable. We still have a few that we’re looking into, but I thought that perhaps you two might wish to come and dine with us while we go over the last of them.”

Anything had to be better than just sitting here. Not to mention, Toni was definitely hungry. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Do you, um…” Jane bit her bottom lip and snuck a glance down at herself, and then back up at them. “Are we dressed appropriately to eat with anyone here? I mean, I get the feeling we already kind of stand out here, and it sure seemed like you guys were playing up a certain image back there. I don’t want to mess that up by coming in looking grungy.” Translation: she really wanted to impress the parents. This was the first time she was really meeting Thor’s parents, and she wanted to make a good impression.

That was probably a good idea. Toni looked down at her own jeans and t-shirt and wrinkled her nose. While she didn’t typically care what she looked like, especially since she’d become Arianna, she knew well just what kind of impression an outfit could make. Those were just as much a suit of armor as her suit was.

Toni looked back up at Loki and put on her best, most pleading look. She didn’t even have to begin to beg, though. “I took the liberty of acquiring some Midgardian clothes for you and sending them to your wardrobe. For both of you, actually.”

The idea of what Loki might’ve thought appropriate to bring over had Toni a little curious. She trusted him, though. He was too smart to risk messing things up by pranking her and bringing over bad clothes. Stretching up on her toes, she gave Loki another quick kiss and then tapped his nose with one fingertip. “Give us fifteen minutes.”

Loki drew back, taking her hand as he did so that he could bend down and press a kiss against her knuckles. “I shall await your return with bated breath.”

The line was a cheesy one – one that Toni had given to girls in the past, so she knew better than to fall for it – yet there was a hint of color to her cheeks when she and Jane went back inside the room.

* * *

It was pretty clear just how Loki saw their living arrangements going. The giant chest in Jane’s room held clothes for her, which meant that the master bedroom area was meant for Toni. She hoped Jane wasn’t offended by it or anything; she didn’t _seem_ to be, but there was no telling. And Toni didn’t linger on it for too long. She was too mesmerized by the room itself when she went up there, and the pleasure she felt at the size of the massive bed in there. Not to mention her amusement when she saw it had been decked out in red and gold bedding.

Her ‘wardrobe’ was a large, wooden armoire that Toni took some time to run her hands over and admire the craftsmanship of. But she was mindful of their time limit, and so she promised herself a good look around later. Then she opened the wardrobe to see what was inside.

As expected, Loki hadn’t done that bad. There were some jeans and shirts on a few shelves. Not her own, it looked like. They were way too new for that. Definitely her style, though, which was a plus.

However, hanging up were the items she needed to go through now.

Toni perused the dresses that Loki had obtained for her. She had to give the guy credit – he understood her style well enough. There were things in there she might not have bought for herself on her own, but that she enjoyed the look of. A tight, sheath dress that was black with red polka dots, and a thick belt. A cheerful yellow dress that looked like it’d stop just above her ankle and was held up with two thin straps at the top. But the one she picked was one that Toni felt was both formal enough to be suitable for business, while fun enough to be enjoyable.

The dress was black and covered in red roses, with a few leaves on each open bloom. It hugged her waist and was held with a very thin black belt, and then flared out a little thanks to some red ruffles underneath and it ended just a bit below her knees. The dress was sleeveless, but it had a high collar almost like a t-shirt instead of the gaping necklines she usually saw on most women’s dresses.

Looking it over in the mirror inside the wardrobe door, Toni admired the dress from all angles. Pretty, yet formal enough to suit this stuffy place, and appropriate enough for a business lunch back home. A little red or green half-jacket would’ve gone well with it.

She chose a black pair of heels because any extra height in this place was going to be a necessity. They all towered over her!

When she reached the accessories, she swore she could hear Pepper telling her _“Accessories make the outfit, Tony. They make a… a statement.”_ It was something that Toni had used when she was still Tony, making sure to accessorize his suits to make a statement, albeit a subtle one. Looking down at the jewelry box that she’d found on the top shelf, Toni debated for a moment before smirking. Why not make a statement? In a place that – from what she’d heard – considered Midgard a lesser place, and that she knew had looked down on Loki, why not make a bold statement?

Along with her suit bracelets, which she’d made look more like simple black bands, she also added some green bangles that went nicely with it. Rings were a no-no. She never wore any. Wearing the suit and working in engineer meant that she wasn’t fond of them. But she did grab the two emerald drop earrings and put them in, and when she bundled her hair up onto her head in an easy twisting knot, she added a few green pins. If there’d been more time, she would’ve painted her nails with the color.

Elsewhere, it might not mean much, but something told Toni that the wearing of Loki’s colors wouldn’t go unnoticed by many here. It was why she wasn’t going to stick to her customary red, though it was her trademark color. The last thing she wanted was to tie herself to _Thor_. He wasn’t the brother she was interested in. She’d wear this, a mix of her colors and Loki’s, and enjoy the subtle snub.

When she and Jane met up in the main part of the room, it’d taken only ten minutes. Jane was dressed and ready to go in a silver dress that went down to her ankles, and a darker long-sleeved jacket with floral embroidery over it. She’d left her hair down and opted for no jewelry. The simplicity of her outfit somehow only made her look that much more elegant. Jane was a pretty woman, made prettier by her warm smile and the kindness that she showed just about everyone.

A smile warmed Toni’s features when she saw her friend. “You look great, Jane.”

“I suddenly feel a bit underdressed,” Jane said, running her gaze over Toni’s outfit. There was a hint of her usual mischief in her eyes, tempered only slightly by the recent revelations in their friendship. “Darcy’s going to be jealous she missed this.”

Darcy was going to be jealous she missed _any_ of this. But Toni knew what she meant and tipped Jane a wink before spinning around, just for the pleasure of making her skirt swirl. She was beginning to understand just a little why some of the women she’d dated had gone for different types of dresses. This one was a lot more comfortable than Toni had expected, and it made her feel, well, _pretty_. She was used to feeling sexy or desirable in the eyes of someone else, or dressing without a care for her own looks. But this had to be the first time Toni had found herself in an outfit that made her feel pretty without anyone else looking at her.

There was something fond in Jane’s eyes even as she shook her head. “You know, it’s really not fair.” The younger woman made her way towards Toni, coming to a stop once she reached her side. That fondness in her eyes grew, and one side of her mouth twitched like she wanted to grin. “You’ve got barely any makeup on, and no pantyhose, and you look better than most models I know. If I tried a look like that, it’d only make me look pale and washed out.”

“Nonsense.” Toni reached out and linked her arm with Jane’s. Then she used that hold to start tugging her friend over towards the door. “You’d look gorgeous in anything. You look gorgeous _now_. Trust me, sweetheart. You’ve got the pale skin that so many guys like and such pretty eyes. Not to mention, you’ve got a _fantastic_ ass.”

“ _Toni!_ ”

Toni was laughing, and Jane was blushing when the two made their way out the door.

In their absence, their audience had grown. It wasn’t just Loki and Eir waiting for them anymore. Thor was there, as well as two more royal guards. Toni took note of the guards, yet most all of her focus was on Loki. The way he lit up at the sight of her, the possessive and heated way his eyes ran over every inch of her body, the spark of heat that leapt to life in their depths. Oh yes, she’d chosen well if that was the reaction she got.

Off to the side, Thor was complimenting Jane in a low, rumbling voice, and Toni heard the murmur of Jane’s reply. That was all the attention she paid them, though. There was no way Toni could’ve brought herself to look away from the very clear predator that was stalking over to her. Every move of his hips, every step he took, had Toni’s mouth running dry. It was unfair for one man to be so attractive.

When Loki reached her, he stopped a respectable distance away and bowed low. “My lady.”

Toni’s eyes were twinkling with amusement. “Prince Loki.”

“Might I have the pleasure of escorting you to our meal?”

“I would like that very much.”

When Loki extended his arm, Toni easily moved in beside him and slipped her hand into the curve right at his elbow. There was laughter bright in her eyes when she leaned in against his arm and looked up at him. They both broke their game at that moment. Loki was giving her a soft smile that, for him, was the equivalent of beaming, and Toni couldn’t wipe the smile off her own face. “You know, you’re pretty gentlemanly when the situation calls for it,” she teased him.

“I do have manners,” Loki said dryly. Mischievousness’ sparked in his eyes. “I just so rarely have call to use them on Midgard.”

Laughing, Toni rolled her eyes. “Good. I imagine we’ll all get our fill of it during our stay.”

“My dear, you have _no_ idea.”

They were still chuckling when they moved to join Jane and Thor. Now that everyone was dressed and together, they were free to make their way off through the halls of the palace. Toni didn’t bother trying to keep track of where they were going. This place was huge, and she doubted she’d be able to keep track of everything well enough to remember her way back to her rooms. Though, hopefully, that wouldn’t be an issue. If Loki didn’t take them back afterward, Toni had a hope that Eir might. The woman was following behind them with the other two guards.

It took almost ten minutes of walking for them to finally reach the wing of the palace they needed. The whole way there, Thor spoke with Jane, telling her about what he’d been doing. The rebellions he’d been helping to quell, the wars that had broken up everywhere. It might’ve been a little interesting to listen at any other time, but Toni found it hard to pay attention when she kept looking up at Loki and catching the faces he was making, or he’d murmur some soft, scathing comment that was meant for her ears alone.

By the time they were being announced through another tall doorway, Toni was battling back laughter, and Loki was looking particularly smug.

They weren’t taken into any sort of grand dining room like Toni had expected they would be. No, instead the door took them _outside_ , and Toni looked around her with open appreciation and maybe even a hint of awe as she was led down a set of steps and into the most beautiful garden she’d ever seen. There were plants everywhere! They grew naturally, or in pots, or even over metal arbors – and they all seemed to be in bloom in some form or another. Oh, the colors of them! There were flowers in every color of the rainbow!

Normally, Toni wasn’t really about the whole nature stuff that so many other people seemed to be into. She loved flowers, sure. But the growing of things? Big, fancy gardens? Those had never been her style.

Then again, the gardens she’d usually frequented were often at the home of some rich bastard who had way too much time and money, and no real sense of taste. Those gardens were rigid. Structured. Everything had a place, and Lord help them if they strayed from it. This? This garden was nothing like that. It was contained, yes, but in a way that made it feel like it’d all naturally grown into this shape. Like the garden itself had just sprung up like this and all they’d done was put down stones to mark the natural paths.

“These are mother’s gardens,” Loki told her, leading her around a curve of bright orange and purple flowers that Toni immediately wanted a whole garden of back home. They were beautiful, bright, and they smelled like cinnamon and other Holiday spices. Loki must’ve noticed her looking at them because he leaned in and ran a finger across one of the petals when they passed it. The flower, which looked kind of like some of the lilies from back on Earth, only with a second layer of petals inside the first, gave off an even spicier scent after being touched. “These are called _jkarti._ They’re from Alfheim, a personal gift to Mother after she helped save the life of one of their Council members. They’re one of the hardier plants they have, able to grow just about anywhere, and they come in a variety of colors.”

“They’re _beautiful_ ,” Toni murmured.

To her surprise, Loki drew his hand back from the bush and gave it a small twist, fingers going down and then swirling back up, and his seidr sparked around it as he did. When he finished, Toni just barely held in her gasp, because there in his palm was one of the jkarti flowers, big enough to take up his whole palm. The inner layer of petals was red, while the outer layer was a vibrant shade of darker green.

Toni and Loki had both stopped for this moment, which made it easy for Loki to lean in and carefully slip the flower into her hair. It rested against her bun, and the scent of Thanksgiving and Christmas drifted down towards her.

Loki brushed his fingers against her cheek as he lowered his hand. “It suits you.”

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to expect her to say anything else. He just held out his arm once more and turned back onto the path. Toni hurried to slip her hand back into place, grateful that it gave her a moment to duck her head down and hide the emotions that were no doubt showing in her eyes.

Around the next corner, the group finally reached their destination. They stepped out past a few bright yellow flowers and into an open, grassy area, upon which there was a large table clearly big enough for at least ten. It was – of course – gold, as were the chairs that went with it.

Odin and Frigga were waiting for them, as well as two people that Toni had yet to meet. One of them was a tall guy, probably close to Thor in height, and solid as well, with long blond hair and an even longer beard and mustache. He was the first person up here in god-land to remind Toni of the Norse Vikings these people were all associated with. He was even dressed in leathers and light battle armor like he expected to go to war at any time. The fact that his bicep was probably as big as Toni’s waist only made her a _little_ nervous.

The other person was a woman. A beautiful woman at that. Taller than Toni and Jane both – the top of her head likely reached Loki’s eyes – and with the kind of thin, willowy figure that made Toni feel just a bit too curvy. She had that same slim, natural elegance that Pepper did. With golden hair the color of straw, and a lightly tanned complexion, this woman was an absolutely stunning beauty. She was dressed in brown breeches and a dark blue shirt, with a dark brown corset that flared down like a split skirt over the sides. Matching dark brown knee-high boots were held on with gold laces. At her waist was a belt, which seemed to hold multiple pouches. She was the least formally dressed of the group, and yet, she stood out more than the others.

“Lady Toni, Lady Jane, welcome.” Frigga’s voice broke through Toni’s observations and brought her focus back over to the two royals. Though Odin stayed by the man’s side, Frigga moved forward and was smiling brightly at Jane and Toni. The brown and gold dress she wore swirled around her as she moved, and her dark hair was braided and twisted up around her head like a crown. With the way she carried herself, even the way she moved, it was easy to see her for the queen that she was.

Yet it was also easy to see her for the mother she was, too. She greeted both her sons with hugs and a kiss to the cheek and then she was once more smiling at Toni and Jane and drawing them forward. “Come, come. I’m so glad you could join us.”

“The pleasure is all mine, ma’am,” Jane said politely.

Frigga waved a hand at her. “Oh, please! While we’re alone like this, call me Frigga. I don’t feel the need for titles in present company.”

The other woman nearby gave a warm laugh that was kind of husky, like someone who’d smoked and drank quite a bit in their years. It was a rather pleasant sound. Any other time in life before she’d met Loki, this was the type of woman Toni would’ve happily hit on. “Were you allowed to get away with it, you would use the titles nowhere,” she teased Frigga.

To Toni’s surprise, not only was the teasing allowed, even _Odin_ seemed to crack a small smile at it.

Smiling, Toni mentally switched gears, going for a slightly less formal air than she’d been showing so far. “It works for me.” She let her smile turn a bit more honest. Then, just to amuse herself, Toni broke away from Loki enough to execute a small bow. “I’ll happily call you Frigga if you’ll call me Toni.”

“Of course.” The way that Frigga’s smile grew reminded Toni so much of Loki. The bright humor in her eyes, the intelligence there, even the quirk of her lips like the one that Loki got when he was trying not to laugh at her. Oh yes – biology or not, this was definitely Loki’s mother.

Everyone moved toward the table, with Frigga stealing Toni and Jane away as they went. She brought them towards the two people that Toni didn’t know, both of whom turned their focus towards them and straightened up a bit as Frigga got close. “You both met my husband earlier,” Frigga said, coming to a stop in front of the man and woman. “Let me introduce our other guests. This is Tyr, the Captain of our Guard.”

“A pleasure, my ladies,” Tyr said, bowing towards them. Was it just Toni, or did the bow seem shorter than others she’d seen so far? And was that a little tightness she detected around his eyes?

Toni made a mental note to keep an eye on him.

Then Frigga was turning towards the woman, and Toni forgot about everything else as Frigga introduced her as “Sigyn, Asgard’s finest _seiðkonur_.”

Sigyn took one look at Toni’s face and burst out laughing. There was only a brief moment for Toni to be offended by it – to start to draw herself up and back in preparation for a remark she knew she probably shouldn’t say yet couldn’t resist – and then Sigyn was shocking her into silence by reaching out and catching hold of her hands. “My apologies, Lady Toni. I wasn’t laughing at you,” Sigyn said quickly, laughter still easy to hear in her voice. She shook her head and cast an impish look over Toni’s shoulder, and then brought her eyes back to Toni. “I’m guessing himself over there didn’t let you know I was going to be here. He never was the best at navigating this sort of terrain. If I’d known what you two were to one another, I would’ve come by and introduced myself privately before this.”

There was a rather petty part of Toni that kind of wanted to hate this woman. A woman that, if myths were to be believed, had once been Loki’s _wife_. The mother of his children.

The rest of her couldn’t seem to hold on to that emotion, though. Not in the face of this husky-voiced beauty who was still smiling at her like they were long-lost friends reunited after years and years apart. Dredging up every bit of training she’d received, Toni pushed down her own hurt and brought out a smile, one that had fooled people into believing she was okay even when she was at her worst. “It’s all right, Lady Sigyn. Can I call you Lady Sigyn, or is there another title you have? I’ll admit, I don’t know how it all works up here, or what it was that Frigga called you, so I’m not sure if I’m giving you the right title or not. I don’t want to accidentally be offensive.”

With each word, Sigyn’s smile only grew wider, and Toni realized that the woman’s blue eyes were actually more of a silver color, almost shining with it. “Lady Sigyn is right, or Master Sigyn, for my ranking skill with seidr. But you?” She gave Toni’s hands a squeeze. “You can call me Sigyn, or Sig.”

Toni squeezed her hands back. “Then I insist you call me just Toni.”

“Wonderful. Come, sit by me, would you?” Sigyn kept hold of one of Toni’s hands, releasing the other so that they could move side by side toward the table. She cast Loki an amused look over Toni’s shoulder. “ _You_ can sit where you wish and think of ways to make it up to your current lover for forgetting to mention that your past-wife was going to be in attendance.” That said, she bent down to whisper conspiratorially in Toni’s ear. “He’s quite inventive at apologies. Do make him work for it, though. He needs to be humbled now and again.”

To Toni’s surprise – and Jane’s too, judging by the wide-eyed look she was giving everyone from her safe spot at Thor’s side – no one seemed to be bothered by the talk of lovers and ex-wives. In fact, it had created an even more relaxed atmosphere. Odin looked almost _human_ for the first time. His smile was small, yet it held a hint of affection and even humor when he turned it toward Loki. “Might I suggest you start with flowers.”

Toni caught a glimpse of Loki for the first time since she’d been pulled away from him. His eyes were hooded, most of the emotion hidden, yet she could read the tension in the set of his shoulders and the formal way he stood, hands clasped together behind his back. Sharp green eyes were watching her carefully. In response, Toni arched one eyebrow at him, letting her own expression cool in a way that made it clear he’d messed up here, and no, she wasn’t in the mood to just ignore it. They might not be officially _dating_ or anything like that, and he had no idea how she felt about him, but there were rules even for those who were just lovers. Taking your current lover to meet your wife without warning? Yeah – _no_.

When Toni deliberately turned away, she swore she could hear Loki’s sigh, and she just barely caught the low murmur of “I think not, lest I end up _wearing_ them.”

Thor’s laugh was loud and booming, only outside like this it didn’t grate on the ears the way it could sometimes when it echoed inside. “You have always chosen those with spirit to take to your bed, brother.”

“Perhaps we might avoid discussing my bedmates, and focus instead on our purpose to this lunch?” Loki asked, sounding just a bit pained.

The informality of their gathering carried through to the meal. Odin and Frigga took either end of the table, with Jane, Thor, and then Tyr on one side, and Sigyn, Toni, and Loki on the other. Sigyn and Jane sat by Frigga, leaving Loki and Tyr by Odin. It wasn’t a political placement. Toni could think of three different ways to better do the seating if they were going for politics. This was simply a matter of everyone having taken a chair they were near.

Around the clearing, guards had taken up their stations, keeping the group protected from all sides. Once everyone was seated, they allowed a group of servants to come in, bearing trays of food and pitchers of something that Sigyn told Toni was “A really delicious elven wine. I picked it up when I was in Alfheim, and I brought some back with me upon my return yesterday.”

Loki saved Toni from having to politely decline. He gestured to one of the servers, who came forward with a different pitcher. “You might find this more to your liking,” he told her. “It is similar to Midgardian sparkling waters. Mother prefers them for meals such as this.”

Despite still being irritated with him, it was easy to smile her appreciation up at him. Loki had no doubt noticed that Toni didn’t drink. Toni nodded at the server, who filled her goblet for her. The liquid did look like water, with bits of fruit floating in it.

The meal itself consisted of some large, roast animal that ended up taking a bit like pork, and bowls of vegetables and fruits that Toni got the impression – judging by how they were put down near Frigga’s end, and how the men didn’t seem to serve up much of it, except for Loki – was something that was also a personal favorite of Frigga’s.

It wasn’t until the food was served and everyone was starting to eat that the topic finally came to the one they were all here for.

It started with Sigyn addressing Jane, leaning in a little to ask her “How are you faring, Lady Jane? I have to say, you seem to be doing surprisingly well so far.” She slanted a look over at Loki and gave him an approving nod. “Your wards seem to be helping.”

Jane startled at the word ‘wards.’ She looked at Loki, who gave her a friendly nod. “I put wards up around you as soon as it became clear what had happened. They won’t do much, but they should help your natural strength to hold out against the power inside of you.”

“Oh.” Jane’s smile, though hesitant, was a lot warmer than it had been back when the two had been first introduced in that little Mexican restaurant. They’d found some sort of peace with one another since then. One that was still new, yet there. “Thank you. I just… honestly, I’ve felt fine. A bit lightheaded sometimes, maybe, and I’ve got a slight headache. Nothing I haven’t had from a long day of work, though. I just kind of attributed it to the whole portal-travel bit, and the ride on the Bifrost. Are you guys even sure I have… whatever it is you think I have?”

“Quite sure,” Loki and Sigyn said together. Their confirmation was followed by Odin, who gave a nod as he said “There is no denying the power inside of you. Loki’s wards are likely all that is keeping you from feeling the strength of what you carry. They will not, however, last forever.”

Sigyn nodded her agreement. “The sooner we find a solution, the better.”

“We’ve had little luck so far,” Odin pointed out. The way he looked at Jane, it put Toni’s back up, making her stiffen slightly in her seat. That was the look of someone who saw the person they were looking on as _less_. Unfortunately, it was a look Toni had seen before. Being friends with Rhodey had exposed Toni to a prejudice and racism that she’d never encountered before that point. There’d been a group of people back at MIT who’d thought themselves better than Rhodey just because of skin color. Toni could still remember the way they’d looked at him, and the horror she’d felt when Rhodey had explained it to her later that night – far more patiently than she deserved, really, considering the age she’d reached without encountering something like that.

That was the look that was on Odin’s face now when he glanced down at Jane.

Frigga, on the other hand, was staring down at her husband with a firm stare that so clearly said they’d be having words later. “A solution will be found, I’m sure.” She softened her look as she smiled at everyone around the table and then settled on Jane, offering her the best reassuring look she could. Which, Toni had to admit, was pretty impressive. “We’ve had ample time to prepare, and some of the best minds that Asgard and the Nine Realms possesses helping us to find a solution. We will do everything we can to help you, Jane.”

“Frigga’s right,” Sigyn said, offering a smile of her own. “We believe we might’ve worked out a way to draw it out of you without harming you, though I’d like to do a few harmless tests to make sure. All we need to do is figure out how to contain it once we do. Power like that can’t be allowed to just run free.”

“In the meantime, Asgard prepares herself for war,” Tyr said. He looked a little too excited at the idea.

As the conversation around the table turned to what they’d do to prepare for the upcoming battle, Toni went quiet, eating almost mechanically. She didn’t pay much attention to the voices or the people around her. As she slowly worked her way through the plate, she didn’t even really taste what she ate. All her focus was internal.

It sounded like Asgard was far more concerned with dealing with the Dark Elves first, and Jane second. Even with the time Toni had given them to prepare, they didn’t seem to have a plan for how to safely contain the Aether. She’d expected something a bit… more, out of them.

Luckily, Toni wasn’t the type to put all her eggs in one basket.

Though she’d hoped that Asgard would be able to handle this, she’d also tried her best to prepare for the possibility that they might not. Good thing, too. Plan B was starting to look a whole lot more viable than Plan A. She’d have to get Loki to help her, of course, and maybe Sigyn. It really sounded like Sigyn was going to be a rather perfect person to help. Someone who already had a way of maybe getting the Aether out of Jane without harming her – a concern that Toni doubted others in Asgard would share. If they could do that, the rest was already taken care of.

The conversation continued as Toni’s mind raced through what needed to be done. She had plans to build, and little time in which to do it. If she could get everything just right, there was a chance she might be able to save more than one person this day.


	13. Chapter 13

Toni couldn’t have said who she talked with or what she talked about through the entirety of their meal. Carrying a conversation while her mind was off doing something else entirely was a skill she’d developed as a young child. The passing years had only perfected it. Toni could be social, and charming, and not remember a single word of what happened because her mind was too busy on whatever project or problem had grabbed her attention.

Thankfully, she was with someone who seemed to understand that about her. Loki stayed at her side the entire time, and when it came time to leave, he was the one to say their goodbyes and lead her away.

He hadn’t anticipated having Sigyn follow after them. Yet, she latched on to Toni’s other arm, and Toni smiled absently at her. “Can we escort you somewhere, Sigyn?”

“No, no,” Sigyn hurried to reassure her. “I thought I’d tag along with you if you don’t mind.”

Toni shrugged in response. Then she was leaning in against Loki’s arm and letting him lead her forward while he and Thor began a conversation over everyone’s heads.

It wasn’t until they were in Toni’s rooms once more that the genius finally snapped out of it. She looked around herself, only to realize that she was somehow in their Asgardian chambers, not still out having lunch. Furrowing her brow, Toni swept her gaze over the room. Her surprise only grew when she saw Loki and Sigyn leaning against a nearby wall, clearly watching her. Why was Sigyn here? And where was Jane? She brought her focus to Loki to ask just that. “Jane?”

“On a tour with Thor,” Loki answered her.

Oh. Wow, okay. She must’ve been more caught up in her head than she’d realized. Usually, she tried not to get that sucked in anymore unless she was down in the workshop. Pepper always hated when Toni went on autopilot like that. But, it’d been quite a while since Toni had needed to worry about any kind of social gathering. Especially one like this. She’d forgotten some of the rules she was supposed to play by. Months and months of living in that empty house had taken away some of Toni’s social graces. She’d gotten too comfortable in her own skin.

“You were quite caught up in your thoughts,” Sigyn said, interrupting Toni’s thoughts once more before they could devolve further.

Rubbing a hand over her chin, Toni nodded, turning around the last few pieces of her thoughts and fitting them together in the only way that seemed to fit. “Working on Plan B.”

“Plan B?”

At Sigyn’s question, Toni looked up at her first, and then over to Loki. She raised one eyebrow in silent question. His lips twitched, and he gave the barest of nods. They could trust her, he was saying. Toni was going to have to take that on faith. Hopefully, he was right.

“Your rooms are warded,” Loki added in. “No one, not even Heimdall, can hear us right now.”

 _Perfect_. Toni really didn’t need anyone overhearing what she was about to say. That’d ruin the plan entirely. “Okay, so. Right. Plan B.” Clapping her hands, Toni rubbed her palms together. “See, Plan A was giving Asgard enough advance notice to try and be able to prepare for this situation. Only, it seems like they’ve failed pretty spectacularly at that. I got the strong impression during our meal that Odin is pretty damn concerned with saving his wife – naturally – but that he couldn’t give a rat’s ass about saving a human. Oh, sure, he’ll try and help her, keep looking for a way to get the Aether out of her, but if it doesn’t happen…”

“He will wait for her to die and simply find a way to contain it then,” Sigyn finished for her.

Snapping her fingers, Toni pointed at her. “Ten points to Ravenclaw.” Turning away to pace again meant that Toni missed the confused look that crossed Sigyn’s features. “Right now the All-Daddy is going to do his best to focus on keeping the Queen safe and preparing to fight against the Dark Elves. If a solution for Jane happens to fall in his lap, I doubt he’d protest too much, so long as he came out looking okay in the end. I’m counting on it, actually, cause I think I’ve got a solution.” Spinning around, Toni looked at Loki. “Do you think you could get Stephen and bring him here without anyone knowing?”

Some of Loki’s usual calm mask cracked away at her question. There was open astonishment on his features, followed by some rather blatant disgust. “You want to call in _Strange_? That second-rate _amateur_?”

Toni pointedly ignored the remark about Stephen’s talent. She knew that he and Loki had a sort of competitive edge to their burgeoning friendship. “Look, you’re the best I know at magic, Tasty Freeze. If that’s all this were, I’d be backing you one hundred percent. But this isn’t just about magic. You’ve got way more knowledge of magic than Stephen ever will, but he’s got something you don’t have – he has experience in holding a stone inside a safe container, and a good relationship with that stone to help him understand it. More than that, think of what the stone itself actually _is_ , and what he can do with it.”

Those words were enough to make him stop and _think._ Toni could see it as Loki’s sharp mind took her words and began to piece them together. It was fascinating, to watch him make all the leaps and connections that a lesser person might not have. When his eyes lit, she knew he understood even before he spoke. “He can stop things if we are wrong or reset them so that we may try again.”

“ _Exactly_ ,” Toni said, grinning.

A small sneer briefly twisted Loki’s features. He clearly didn’t like this; equally clear, he understood the necessity of it and was willing to work beyond his own discomfort, something not many could do. “Fine,” he finally said. “I will fetch your brother so that he may assist us. I assume he’s aware of this potential plan?”

Shrugging one shoulder, Toni was already turning her focus away, moving on to the next part of the plan. “Of course. I gave you my word, Lokes. I was gonna make damn sure I could follow through on it.”

Because she was turned away, she missed the way that Loki’s whole face softened at that.

The first part of the plan was in order. Loki would get Stephen and bring him here, along with the item that Stephen had painstakingly crafted to hold the energy of the Aether – at least, hopefully, they couldn’t exactly test it. Now all they needed to do was find a place to take Jane that was away from the palace. Somewhere that would steer the Dark Elves away from here. If they could throw them off, convince them that the Aether wasn’t here anymore, they wouldn’t have to attack.

If they timed it right, lots of lives might be saved, not just Jane’s. Toni knew how to look at the big picture of things; it was a skill her father had taught her. This was one of those ‘big picture’ moments. Jane was important – she was so fucking important – but so was Asgard. So was Frigga.

So many people that Toni had to take care of. And each one just as important as the last. Reaching up, Toni rubbed her fingers over her face, trying to sort through the thoughts that were tumbling around her head like bouncing balls.

She was startled out of her thoughts by a small hand coming to rest on her shoulder. When Toni looked up, she found Sigyn by her side, steady and serious. “What do you need?” No other questions, no qualifiers, nothing else. Just that simple request – what do you need?

“A safe place away from Asgard where we can perform some pretty strong magic without anyone interfering or getting hurt. Somewhere a good distance away, without people around to put at risk.”

Sigyn didn’t even pause. She nodded along with Toni’s words, and then said, just as simple as before: “I know just the place.”

* * *

Once Toni laid out her plan for Sigyn and Loki, the two leapt into action without any sign of hesitation. It was a novel feeling for Toni. She wasn’t used to her plans being so readily accepted. In her old life, there’d always been arguments, people questioning and poking and prodding to make sure that the plan really was _okay_. Toni was all for asking questions – there were times she’d questioned the plans, too! – but she’d also known when a plan was _good_ , and it was time to be quiet and follow orders. The rest of the team had too – when it was anyone’s plan but Toni’s.

Toni hadn’t felt this kind of ease at working with anyone since, well… ever.

But these people did. They listened to her as she laid out her plans, detailing how she wanted to get Jane to a secure location away from Asgard to draw the focus of the Dark Elves, and how she wanted to use magic to remove the Aether like Sigyn had said they could, and then use Stephen to contain it in an object. Then they nodded and got to work. Loki disappeared to go sneak down to Earth and fetch Stephen for them, while Sigyn went to the hallway where Eir was and quietly requested that the woman fetch Jane and Thor for them.

While they waited for Jane and Thor to return, Toni took advantage of the time to go back up to her bedroom area and change out of her dress. This wasn’t the kind of work to be done in dresses.

She was standing in front of her wardrobe, twisting her arms back to try and get to the stupid zipper on her dress, when the brush of material warned her of someone coming close. Toni looked up at the mirror, which afforded her a clear view of Sigyn walking up behind her. “Here, let me help you with that.”

Toni debated for only a second. Then she shrugged. “Sure. I don’t know why they make zippers so damned hard to reach, but it’s a pain in my ass.”

Laughter echoed through the room as Sigyn made her way to Toni’s back. Her fingers easily found the zipper and dragged it down. “Because women’s clothing is so rarely made by women, or with women in mind. They’re often designed for the preferences of the men who look upon us.”

The zipper finally reached the bottom, and Toni wasted no time in shimmying out of the dress and letting it pool down on the ground. She saw no reason to be embarrassed here. Sure, she barely knew Sigyn, but it wasn’t like they came with different parts, now did they? “When I get back to Earth, I’m gonna have JARVIS get started on making a line of women’s clothes that are made for women, with practical buttons and zippers and things like that. Not something that takes a second person just to help me in or out of.” Scooping up her dirty dress, she folded it and put it on the only empty shelf in there, not sure what they did with their dirty clothes here.

As she was reaching for the normal clothes on the shelf, she heard Sigyn moving behind her. A glance showed the woman was laying on her side now on the end of Toni’s bed. Her head was propped up on one hand, and she was watching Toni without any shame. Without any lust, either. At least, not that Toni could see.

Toni had just grabbed a pair of jean shorts when Sigyn finally spoke again. “I wanted you to know… I truly am sorry if my presence caused you any discomfort this afternoon.”

A grimace crossed Toni’s features. She tried to hide it by ducking down to step into her shorts and pull them up. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I caused you pain.”

“No, you didn’t.” Toni deliberately kept her back to Sigyn while she gave a little shimmy to try and get her hips settled into the jeans before zipping and buttoning them. “Trust me, Sig, that wasn’t on you.” No, that was entirely on Loki, and Toni hadn’t decided yet if she was going to bring it up with Loki, or if she even had the right to be upset about things. Sure, you’d think warning your current lover about the presence of your ex-wife would’ve been a polite thing to do, but Toni and Loki were just that – lovers. They weren’t _dating_ or anything like that.

Sigyn let out a low sigh that interrupted Toni’s thoughts. When Toni snuck another look in the mirror, she caught sight of a sad look crossing Sigyn’s features. “Though it doesn’t excuse it… Loki has little experience with relationships that are allowed to be open. Plenty were willing to sleep with the prince, but few who were willing to be openly seen with him. Most of his assignations took place with a fair amount of discretion. Having a lover like you, one he so openly claims, is a strange experience for him. Even he and I were a secret until our marriage.”

Sadly, that bit of insight explained quite a bit about some of Loki’s actions, though it made Toni wonder why on earth he was so openly claiming _her_ if that wasn’t something he was used to doing. But then the rest of what Sigyn said caught up with her and Toni tossed a look of surprise over her shoulder. “Really?” Absently, she reached out and grabbed one of her shirts, not paying any attention at all to which one it was.

There was a small smile on Sigyn’s lips as she nodded. “Oh, yes. I was a novice at our local seidrhouse when Loki and I first met. Neither one of us knew who the other was, see. We were simply teenagers sneaking away from the adults in our lives that we felt were trying to control us.” Laughing, Sigyn shook her head. “We were ridiculous. We complained to one another about the hardships we suffered and formed a fast friendship. One that we kept hidden, lest the adults try and take it from us. It sustained us for years until we were adults, and things changed, as they so often do. The comfort we shared was physical then, not just emotional.”

Hearing about Loki and Sigyn was both fascinating and painful all at the same time. The two had a relationship – a past – that Toni knew she’d never be able to compete with.

To try and hide the look she knew had to be on her face, Toni pulled on her shirt and turned to the mirror to settle it down over her hips. She’d grabbed a Black Sabbath t-shirt, it seemed. One that fit far better than some of her others. Having Loki as a personal tailor apparently meant having clothes that were actually made-to-fit.

“Toni,” Sigyn drew Toni’s focus again, pausing long enough that Toni had to turn and look at her. When she did, she found Sigyn smiling softly. “Loki and I, we weren’t what you think. We were friends, yes, and I hope we’ll always be so. But I never loved him the way that you do, nor him me. He never looked at me as he does you.”

Color flooded Toni’s cheeks. Hearing herself called out so directly, she wanted to protest, to insist that she didn’t love him. Or to say that he didn’t look at her in any special way. But Sigyn didn’t give her a chance.

“We were a comfort to one another only twice. Unfortunately, having spent his life living beside a god of fertility, Loki was rather… potent.” A spark of impishness lit Sigyn’s eyes, and her lips curved up into a smirk that was just shy of sinful. Then it faded away, and something dark crept up in its place. Her smile was gone, and her eyes darkened. Dulled. There was grief there – old grief. And Toni was abruptly reminded of the rest of Loki and Sigyn’s story. If the myths back home were anything like what actually happened…

Sigyn closed her eyes. She made no other effort to hide the grief she wore. “We married because what else was I to do? I was pregnant, and they were a prince’s heirs. I hoped that an actual marriage would grant them more protection than Loki’s last children. It wasn’t a marriage of love, but a matter of convenience and safety for us both. And then… then…”

“Sigyn.” There was no way Toni could let her keep going. She just, she couldn’t. No one should have to go through something like what this woman went through. No one should have to live with that kind of pain or be forced to relive it.

There was quiet for a moment, neither one of them moving, while Sigyn gathered herself. When she opened her eyes again, there was still a faint dullness there, but it was grief tempered by time. Pain didn’t go away, Toni knew. Sometimes it got easier, and sometimes it didn’t. Mostly, you just learned how to breathe around it. Sigyn seemed to have had some practice at that. She even managed a faint smile. “My apologies. That’s a story perhaps best left for Loki to tell. I went off topic anyway. My point was – what Loki and I had, it was nothing more than friendship, and after… once we had a chance to heal, we parted amicably. Loki will always be one of my closest friends, but he won’t ever be more than that, nor I for him.”

Any chance for Toni to reply was cut short when there was a knock on the front door.

Sigyn was up off the bed in one smooth, graceful movement. “Why don’t I see who that is while you finish getting ready?” Pausing, she let her eyes run over Toni, taking in the shorts that were probably shorter than was decent, and the comfortable t-shirt, and she shook her head. The smile that touched her lips was more real, though. “Asgard isn’t going to know what to do with you, Toni Stark. I can’t wait to watch you shock each and every one of them.” That said, she turned and left the room, leaving Toni standing there discomforted and entirely unsure.

The sound of voices was what snapped Toni back to herself. She heard not just Jane out there, but Thor’s deep rumble as well, and that meant it was time. They needed to get moving.

In short order, Toni had traded her heels for a sensible pair of purple slip-on sneakers, carefully set the flower from Loki on the shelf – not thinking about why she wanted to keep it safe – and she’d put all her jewelry back in the wardrobe.

She was still gathering her hair up into a bun, once more making note to herself that she really needed to finally go get a haircut. This longer hair was irritating most of the time. As she snapped the ponytail in place, she reached the bottom of the stairs and found Sigyn, Jane, and Thor all waiting. Sigyn was the one to notice her, and she quickly gestured Toni forward. “Come. Loki sent me a message to let me know he’s with your brother and should be returning shortly. We need to hurry if we’re going to meet them.”

That was all Toni needed to hear. “Awesome, let’s go.” She walked right up to Sigyn and stopped at her side, hands on her hips and head tilted up to look at the taller woman. “Are you just gonna teleport us there? Do we need to hold on to you or anything like that?”

Amusement sparked in Sigyn’s eyes. “Yes, we are… teleporting, and it will be easier if you hold on to me while we do. Is there anything you all need before we leave?” At their head shakes, and Thor’s low “Nay,” they all moved in close. Each of them got a hand on Sigyn, who smiled one last time at them before she called up her magic. To Toni’s surprise, it wasn’t the green she was used to seeing, but a warm brown color, like the earth itself. That color reached out to them and then, in a blink, Toni felt the familiar sensation of being pulled along by magic as Sigyn carried them through what Loki called the ‘secret paths.’

Between one blink and the next, they arrived at the new place. Toni took in the room around them – a large house with a rather open floor plan, everything seeming to be in one giant room – and then she saw Loki and Stephen standing nearby.

There wasn’t a chance for Toni to greet either one of them. No sooner had they all landed than Loki was gesturing them all forward and telling them: “Hurry. I felt the presence of the Elves as we traveled here – I have no doubt they felt yours as well. If they weren’t already tracking the Aether, they will be now. We’ll have little time before they show up here.”

 _Great_. Toni’s brain snapped instantly to work, and she was assessing the area around her all over again, only with a different eye this time. “Can I trust you two to work in here without killing one another?” Toni asked Loki and Stephen, looking from one to the other. Stephen huffed, looking slightly offended, but Loki just gave her a sharp nod. That was all Toni needed. “Good. I’ll leave the magic mumbo-jumbo to the witchdoctors, then. Fabio, you’re with me.” With one hand Toni gestured Thor towards her and then started to make her way towards the door.

“What do you need?” Thor asked her.

“You and me, we’re gonna hold the perimeter and make sure no one gets past the line.” Toni flashed him a grin as they stepped outside onto an actual freaking _beach_. There was a ton of water in front of them, and mountains at their back – the house itself seemed built _into_ the mountain, with stairs that led a few feet down to the sand. An easily defensible position, actually. That meant they only really had to defend one side instead of _four_. Still, it was a unique place, and reminded Toni enough of earth that she had to ask “Where are we, do you know?”

Thor nodded at her. “Alfheim. If I am right, we are far off into the wildlands where few dare dwell. Above us would be the forests of Nir.” Pausing, he flashed one of those bright smiles of his, edged with just a hint of wryness. “It is considered a dangerous place. I’m not surprised Sigyn or my brother have a home here.”

The thought floated up that this might’ve been a home that the two had shared together. Toni squashed the kernel of jealousy that cropped up. “Tell me about the elves,” she said instead. “What can we expect?”

“According to my father, there was darkness once, long before the birth of light, and the Dark Elves were born from that darkness. Their leader, Malekith, wanted to cover the universe in that darkness using the power of the Aether. My Grandfather Bor was king at the time, and he fought a war with the Dark Elves in which they drove them back to their home on Svartalfheim. There, in the final battle, with the Convergence approaching, a fierce battle was waged. The Dark Elves used beings known as the Kursed, creatures powered by the Aether. In the end, Asgard triumphed, and the Aether was lost to them. Malekith sought to destroy what was left of our troops by dropping their ships from the sky in an effort to crush any Asgardian troops he could.”

“Well shit,” Toni breathed out.

Thor gave her a solemn nod. “Aye. Most of their own kind were destroyed, though it was said that some escaped – Malekith included.”

“And it’s those survivors that’re gonna come for us now.” Okay, great. So, not a shit ton, maybe, but still plenty enough. “I’m assuming they’re strong like you guys are.”

“They are strong, fast, and dangerous. Even for a civilization as advanced as Asgard, their technology far surpasses our own. They are not an enemy to be taken lightly.”

The news just kept getting better and better. Toni bit her lip, trying to think. They had to figure out some sort of way to keep them back just long enough for the others to get the Aether under control. Then – then they’d figure out how to stop the Dark Elves as a group because Toni had no idea what to do then. Something told her Malekith wasn’t going to just back off. “How the hell do I keep getting myself into these things?” Toni mumbled.

As if the universe had heard her and wanted to prove just how much it hated her, there was a sound off in the distance that Toni didn’t recognize, but that had Thor suddenly gripping Mjolnir and shifting into a defensive stance. His gaze went out to the water, and Toni followed it just in time to see as a fucking _giant spaceship_ started to appear out of nowhere over the water. “Oh, _fuck_.” Toni’s eyes went wide. The thing was shaped like a giant T, but even as Toni watched it finish materializing, smaller ships were branching off of it and sailing forward.

The first laser blast hit the ground just a few feet in front of Toni. Her suit was already bleeding from her bracelets to cover her body. As soon as it was on, Toni grinned behind her mask. “All right, Point Break. You ready to kick some elven ass?”

Thor’s answer was to spin Mjolnir and take off into the sky.

Laughing, Toni took off after him.


	14. Chapter 14

So, it seemed that fighting against Dark Elves was a lot like fighting some bastard child of the Chitauri, Asgardians, and maybe a bit of Steve Rogers thrown in the mix. There was definite intelligence there – they were smart, knew how to use their ships, and knew how to fight in hand to hand as well – and a lot of strength and durability that made them more resistant to attacks, and they tended to come at her with a determination that had Toni flashing back to a cold bunker and two super soldiers who almost succeeded in killing her.

It was a fight unlike anything Toni had dealt with since her blast into the past. Even fighting against Killian hadn’t been like this. He’d been _one_ person she was up against, albeit an enhanced one. These were _countless_ elves that kept coming. Every time she or Thor took another down – and Toni was trying really hard not to think about just how many she’d hurt or killed, or how many more died falling into the water after she hit them – there seemed to be more and more coming.

The tide was turned when a sudden flare of red power came ripping past them all. There was a brief moment where Toni was ashamed to admit she panicked. She saw red waves of power and did the only thing her brain could think of to do – she shot straight up into the sky and then spun around, hands at the ready for an attack that never came.

Instead of the woman she’d half-expected to see, Toni found Sigyn standing at the edge of the water. She had her hands outstretched, palms facing the water. But it was what was on her head that had Toni’s attention. “JARVIS, zoom in on her head for me, would you?”

She’d been more than grateful to discover that JARVIS actually worked all the way on some alien realm. How, she had no idea, though she had a feeling she might have Loki to thank for that little fact. Having JARVIS was a blessing. He zoomed in for her without a word, and Toni was able the golden, braided metal band that sat in Sigyn’s hair – and at its center, a glowing red stone.

Even as Toni gaped at the sight, Sigyn was thrusting her hands out again, and another red wave rocketed out, sending more of the dark elves flying.

Up on the clifftop above them, three bodies were twisting and turning and fighting together. Thor, Loki, and a Dark Elf that Toni was pretty sure was Malekith. He was the one they needed to take out, and a look showed that the brothers likely had that handled. That meant that it was up to Sigyn and Toni to hold off the rest of them. Stephen was nowhere in sight, and Toni really hoped he was either taking care of Jane or getting her somewhere safe.

Toni flew down towards where Sigyn was and paused to hover near her. “Nice headband, gorgeous.”

“Not too gaudy, I hope,” Sigyn called back. She sent a blast with her left hand, actually disintegrating some of the ships, and Toni found herself more turned on by that than she probably should’ve been.

Though she knew Sigyn couldn’t see it, Toni winked at her. “Nah, it suits you.”

Any other banter was cut short as the elves swarmed forward again. There was no more time for talking. Toni fought harder than before, bolstered by having people at her back. A _team_.

She lost track of how many elves they fought against, or how long it lasted. All she knew was that, one moment she was fighting with everything she had, and the next moment there was an explosion from the clifftop that distracted everyone in just enough time for Sigyn and Toni to send blasts of raw power – repulsor and stone together – right at the ship that Toni had fondly coined the _mothership_. It went up in a blast of flames that had enough force behind them to send Toni skidding backward.

Then everything went quiet.

The ship was sinking down into the water, and the ground was littered with the bodies of the fallen. No one else was coming for them. Toni looked to check on the rest of her team and found Stephen and Jane coming out of the house to stand in front of the door, looking around them. Sigyn was still standing on the beach, and Thor and Loki appeared at her side. A glance up to the clifftop showed a body up there that wasn’t moving. They’d taken care of Malekith, then.

Toni stayed up in the air for a moment as she looked around her. They’d done it. They’d really done it. They’d stopped the dark elves, removed the Aether from Jane safely, and so long as no one had gone to Asgard, they’d saved the queen. They’d won.

None of that stopped Toni from feeling slightly hollow as she made her way back to the ground.

She landed next to Loki, and he immediately moved in, one arm moving in enough of a gesture that Toni took it as an invitation. Her suit melted away at the same time that she moved right into the curve of Loki’s arm and let herself drop a bit against his side. She covered up that need to touch with a bright smile and a mostly-fake sigh. “Well… that was fun.”

“Quite so,” Thor said, beaming yet clearly exhausted.

Loki turned to press a kiss casually against Toni’s hair. He used the close proximity to murmur: “You okay?”

“Just… not a fan of this,” Toni said, gesturing with one hand towards the bodies all around them.

Loki’s hand squeezed gently at her waist, a silent support, and Sigyn gave her a sad look that held a wealth of understanding. But it was Thor who reached out to put a hand on her shoulder as he told her “Grieve not, Woman of Iron. These were our enemies, and you fought valiantly against them.”

Unable to help herself, Toni jerked her shoulder free. “Yeah, not really helping there, bud.” She turned dark eyes up towards him and didn’t bother hiding her grief at all this. “They might’ve been our enemy, but don’t ever forget they were people. They had families, Thor. Lives. Husbands and wives, children. Just because they were your enemy doesn’t make them all _less_. No one’s all good, or all bad. Underneath the anger and the war, there are just _people_ , and if you ever hope to be King after your father, that’s something you better remember.”

Toni’s tone had turned sharper, with just a hint of bitterness and old grief to it. It made her words carry that much more meaning. “Their leader, yeah, he was a giant fucking asshole, and I might not feel bad about his death, but the rest of them? You’ve got no way of knowing who they were or why they were here. Celebrate your victory all you want, but don’t think for a minute I’m going to join you in celebrating the death of _anyone_ , no matter who they are.”

That said, she spun herself out of Loki’s hold and turned to make her way towards the stairs where Stephen and Jane were coming down. Anything to get herself out of there before she said or did something she was going to regret later.

The horror in Jane’s eyes was easier to focus on than Toni’s own emotions. Toni walked right up to the other woman and, with the ease of the friendship they’d built recently, she slipped her arm around Jane’s waist and drew her in at the same time that she tried to steer her back towards the stairs. “You guys should’ve stayed up there, I was just getting ready to head on up.”

“I should…”

Jane tried to gesture over her shoulder, only Toni just kept tugging her forward, not allowing her to turn around. “You should just come back up to the house with me and let me check you over. We’ll leave the magic folks and your muscular boy-toy to clean up out there while you and I go inside. Trust me, you don’t need to see all this.”

“I’m not a child,” Jane said firmly, yet it didn’t escape Toni’s notice that she didn’t try pulling away, either.

“I know you’re not.” Slowly and carefully, Toni steered Jane up the stairs and back towards the house entrance. She could hear the others behind her and deliberately ignored them. Let them handle cleanup. She focused on getting Jane back inside. “Stuff like this, it’s not the easiest to see or deal with even when you’ve been doing it for a while, like I have. Death never gets any easier to see or feel. And it shouldn’t, either. It should always hurt. That’s how you know you’re still human inside. But, if you don’t have to deal with it, if there are people there who are capable of dealing with things, you should let them.”

Jane didn’t seem to have an argument for that. She just quietly let Toni take her back up to the house.

As they reached the front door, Toni tried to distract her, at least. “So, I see that everything went okay getting the Aether out. Are you hurt or anything like that? Feeling any residual side effects?”

“None,” Jane said immediately. “I mean, it was weird, and it hurt a bit coming out, but I feel fine. Sigyn said she still wants me to get checked out by the healers when we go back.”

“Probably a good idea. And maybe by your own doctor once you get back home, too.” While Asgard might be advanced, there was no telling if they knew the more _human_ things to look for.

The two stepped inside the house with Jane in the lead. Toni followed after her, not bothering to shut the door. She let her eyes briefly sweep the room to make sure there was no danger in here, no random straggler hiding out, and to also take in the slightly _scorched_ look to certain things. _Huh. Must not have been as easy as she thought._ Mentally, Toni resolved to poke at Sigyn and Stephen about it later.

Toni was broken out of her thoughts by Jane loudly exclaiming: “What on earth is _that_?”

Sarcasm came easily to Toni’s lips despite how she tensed in preparation for trouble. “Well, technically we’re not on earth anymore, Toto.” Even as she said it, Toni was turning, eyes following where Jane was pointing to. “And really you… _oh my God_.”

It wasn’t hard to see what Jane had been pointing out. Toni stared for one long moment before she let out a sound that she would later deny ever making. On a shelf on the far side of the room – in the kitchen area – was a creature that looked unlike anything Toni had ever seen.

Jane made a low, disgusted sound. “Is that a rat? A rat with _wings_?”

She didn’t seem to be far off. The thing – whatever it was – looked like a dragon and a mouse had had babies together, creating this tiny little thing that looked like it could fit in the palm of her hand. It had wings, and a long tail and its back was covered in spines from nose to tail tip. When it looked up, Toni had to fight not to _coo_. The little thing had the biggest eyes, with spikes over each one like eyebrows, and a nose she just wanted to poke at, and big mouse ears. One of the ears was flopped over, and she caught sight of little fangs peeking out on either side of its mouth.

To make the thing cuter, it was covered in the softest looking hair that was sticking out all over the place like a little dandelion puff, and it had the brightest mix of colors she’d ever seen. Most of its body and head were a bright blue, though its tail was a lighter sky blue, as were the membranes of the wings. All the spikes and spines were bright purple. But at the base of each foot and the tips of its ears, it was _orange._ There was even an orange circle around its left eye. When it lifted up on its back legs and started to _sniff_ in their direction, she caught a glimpse of an orange underbelly. Around its head was a ruff of fur and what Toni thought might be _feathers_.

Toni barely even made the decision to cross the room. One moment she was by Jane and the next she was next to the shelf, hands out and soft little sounds slipping past her lips. “Hey there, cutie pie. Yeah, you. Look at you, you’re so adorable. You wanna come see Auntie Toni, hmm? I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

To her shock and delight, the little thing came sniffing forward, its whiskers brushing against her hand. Whatever it smelled seemed to satisfy it. It took one cautious step forward – she caught a glimpse of light blue mouse-like feet and sharp purple dragon-esque claws – and then another. Then it scrambled onto her palm and sat there watching curiously as she drew it in towards her chest.

“Toni? What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it _cute_? Jane, look!” Turning, Toni held up both her hands, cupping them together to give the little thing a place to rest.

Jane was giving it a clearly dubious look. “Toni, maybe you should put it down. You don’t know what it is, or what kind of diseases it might be carrying.”

In a flash, the little creature was cradled close to Toni’s chest. She shot a glare at Jane and started to pet the little thing. “Don’t you listen to the mean lady over there,” Toni told it soothingly, shifting her hand so that her nails could scratch behind its ears. She was delighted to feel a low sound that was like a squeaky sort of purr. “You’re beautiful, aren’t you, sweetie?”

“It looks like a child painted it.”

“You’re just jealous it likes me more!” Toni fired back. Which really, wasn’t a lie. The little thing was rubbing up against her shirt and making those happy squeaky-purring sounds.

They were cut off by the arrival of the others. Toni looked up as Thor came in, with Loki, Sigyn, and Stephen right behind him. Thor froze when he got inside, causing Loki to actually crash into his back. He ignored his brother’s cursing to stare at Toni’s new little friend. “Toni… why are you holding a guln?”

“A what?” Jane asked. Toni mostly ignored them. She was petting at the little thing – a guln, apparently – and enjoying how its wings were shivering in response.

“A guln. They are vermin,” Thor said, still eyeing Toni uncertainly. “They are a pest, much like the mice I’ve heard tale of on Midgard. They eat only metal and are often found in the cities.”

Though Thor was looking at Toni kind of like she was crazy, the others all had varying degrees of humor and resignation on their faces. Stephen huffed and rolled his eyes, muttering something no doubt insulting under his breath, yet he shook his head and smiled at her. Sigyn seemed to be smothering a grin behind her hand.

Loki looked the most resigned. He took in the way that Toni was cradling it, the soft look on her face, and then he let out a heavy sigh. “Do I have any hope of convincing you to leave it here?”

The grin that stretched over Toni’s face was bright enough to light up the room. “Nope!” Then, because she couldn’t resist, she added on “You were talking about some way to make things up to me that didn’t involve flowers…”

He gave her a dry look that said he wasn’t the least bit impressed with her attempts to persuade him. Yet, he strolled over to her and paused for only a moment before he bent and looked at the little guln. “It’s a runt,” he told her. “I doubt it will get much bigger than this. However, they’re more intelligent than most give them credit for. You should be able to train it to eat your scraps. I wouldn’t recommend letting it in your workshop, though.”

With the guln in her hand, there was no way Toni could leap forward and hug him, so she settled for grabbing the front of his jacket and using that grip to yank him down for a hard, deep kiss. When they broke apart, she grinned at him. “Just for that, you’re getting one hell of a reward later, gorgeous.”

The way his eyes softened was something that Toni was never going to get tired of. They gentled, and the light of his seidr glowed briefly there. “I look forward to it.”

They were reminded of their audience when Stephen gave one of his more dramatic sighs. The one that he used when he thought the people around him were idiots. “You two are utterly disgusting, I’ll have you know. And you, Prince Loki, are whipped.”

“I’ll whip you,” Toni threatened, though her grin didn’t lessen.

“No one is whipping anyone!” Jane interjected. It stopped any sort of argument before it could really get going. “If the mess outside is… taken care of we should probably get back to Asgard. I’m sure someone’s noticed we’re gone by now.”

She was right. They needed to get back and let the others know that things were taken care of. They were also going to have to explain the stone that now sat on Sigyn’s head. Toni was pretty sure the woman wasn’t going to be giving it up any time soon. No doubt Odin was going to have an issue with that. But Sigyn didn’t seem the least bit worried by it. As they all gathered together in the middle of the room to make the trip back, Sigyn was on Stephen’s arm, and she was smirking up at him as she said “You’ll have to explain this ‘whipped’ bit to me, sorcerer. I find myself… intrigued.”

Toni was laughing as Loki’s seidr wrapped around her, and the group vanished.

* * *

It seemed that one of the bonuses and downfalls of being a political guest here in Asgard was that Toni wasn’t allowed in the room when Thor and Loki made their report to Odin. Neither she nor Jane were allowed in there. The two were sent first to the healers, and then Eir was there to escort them back to their room. It had the feel of _house arrest_ to it that had Toni wanting to balk. She held her tongue, though, and let herself be led back there.

Still, when they reached their rooms, Toni couldn’t help turning to Eir. “Can you have someone let me know as soon as the Princes are done meeting with the Allfather?”

“Of course, Lady Toni,” Eir assured her. The taller woman was beside the door, hands clasped in front of her, and she looked so very serious. Yet, in her eyes, Toni saw a flash of what she thought might be understanding. “As soon as there’s any word, I’ll make sure you know.”

Understanding flared between the two women. Eir wasn’t just promising to let Toni know when Loki was done; she was promising to let her know if she heard anything about Loki, any sign that he might need Toni with him. Hearing those unspoken words, Toni smiled gratefully. She laid a hand on Eir’s arm as she passed her by. “He’s lucky to have someone as loyal as you in his life, Eir.”

That said, Toni made her way into the room, shutting the door behind her.

Jane was already inside, resting on one of the couches, and sitting on the one opposite her was Sigyn. Stephen was nowhere in sight. When they’d left the house and arrived here in Asgard, Toni had been surprised to find that Sigyn and Stephen weren’t with them. Now she was yet again surprised to find her friend not here. That must’ve been visible on her face because Sigyn smiled up at her and hurried to reassure her. “Your brother is safely back home. I believed it’d be safer for him there than to try and stay here. After all, we’re already drawing the Allfather’s ire enough as it is. I doubt we should add on the crime of bringing another human to Asgard.”

“Point,” Toni conceded. Carefully, she pulled off the bag that Loki had given to her before he went to speak with Odin. Inside was her little Drat, currently sound asleep in a tiny little ball that had Toni wanting to coo at it again. She set the bag down gently on the table next to one of the nearby chairs, and then – with a lot less care than she’d showed her Drat – she dropped herself down into the chair. Almost immediately she groaned loudly and started to shift. “What the hell is up with this place?” Toni shifted again, scowling. “Why does everything have to look pretty and feel like shit?”

“Looks are very important to Asgardians,” Sigyn said, slumping a little in her chair and looking particularly comfortable and smug about it, the little shit.

Toni wiggled around a moment more in an effort to find a comfortable position. Then she simply gave it up for lost and let herself slide down from the chair to the floor. At least the floor wasn’t lumpy and awkwardly shaped. Toni dragged the only piece of softness down with her – a pillow – and she let out a sigh that was much happier as she laid on her stomach and buried her face against the pillow. “Much better.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Jane told her lazily, voice just a bit heavier with exhaustion. The healers had declared her healthy, but her body tired, in need of rest after all it’d been through.

Though Toni couldn’t see Sigyn from this angle, she could hear her, and it wasn’t hard to read the bit of shock in her tone. “Indeed you are. Why are you laying on the floor, Toni Stark? There’s a perfectly good bedchamber up the stairs.”

Toni gave a grunt and didn’t move. “Too far away.” Muscles that hadn’t been used in a long time were starting to make their anger towards her known for how she’d let them be abused. She was pretty sure her bruises had bruises. And, though she wasn’t quite sure, she had a feeling there was a cut somewhere on her back where one of those stupid elven weapons had managed to pierce the suit long enough to tear into her skin. She’d had the nanotech cover it, and it was working as a bandage right now, but that’d been the most she was able to do for it.

Fabric rustling together warned Toni that someone was moving. Then she heard the soft sound of light footsteps making their way over to her. A second later, soft fingers were trailing up the outside of her left thigh. “You know, as scandalous as these clothes you wear are, they are good for one thing,” Sigyn said. Those fingers moved down to her knee, and then Toni’s leg was lifted and bent a little, making her moan softly against her pillow. “You cannot hide injuries this way. Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”

“’M fine,” Toni grumbled. When Sigyn bent her leg again, Toni let out another moan and kicked out weakly. “Stop it. ‘M fine.”

“You are clearly _not_ fine. With your suit, I believe we all assumed your safety, and for that, you have my apologies. Allow me to tend to you.”

One of Toni’s hands came up to wave lazily in Sigyn’s direction. “Thanks, but no thanks, Blondie. I’m just gonna lay here till my muscles remember they don’t hate me.”

Sigyn’s response was to jab at one of Toni’s bruises with a finger.

“Ow!” Snapping her head up, Toni turned just enough to be able to glare back at the completely unrepentant looking woman. “Dammit, you sadist, that _hurt_!”

Raising both eyebrows, Sigyn adopted her most innocent expression. “Oh, I’m sorry. Since you were so insistent on simply lying there instead of seeking help, I assumed it meant you were truly _fine_.”

“It’s not going to work,” Jane said, speaking up for the first time since the other two had started bickering. She was still lying on the couch, eyes mostly closed, and one arm flung over her face. It made her voice a bit heavier and more muffled. “She out-stubborns even Loki. You won’t get her up until she’s ready to get up.”

Toni threw a smile Jane’s way, and then stuck her tongue out a Sigyn, before turning her head again and letting it drop back down to her pillow. She wasn’t going to get up until she absolutely had to and Sigyn could just _deal with it_. “Go ‘way,” she grumbled into the pillow. “There’s nothing life-threatening, no bones are broken, and I’m not bleeding to death. The rest of it can wait.”

It sounded like Sigyn muttered something along the lines of ‘foolish mortals’ as she pushed herself up from the ground. Toni was willing to ignore it, though. Sigyn had stopped poking at her, and it sounded like she’d moved back over to her chair. That left Toni free to just lie there and try not to think about what might be happening with Loki and Thor right that minute. Judging by what she’d heard about their past, Odin didn’t exactly react well to his boys doing things he didn’t like, or things he didn’t approve of. Their only saving grace might be the fact that they’d neatly solved everyone’s problems. Plus, Toni trusted Loki was smart enough to play the whole ‘Frigga is still alive’ card and gain some leniency that way.

There was no telling how long the trio of women laid about Toni’s chambers before someone knocked on the door. A moment later, the door was opening, and Toni turned to watch as Eir stuck her head in and announced: “Lady Toni – Prince Loki and Prince Thor are here to see you.”

A warm smile softened Toni’s face. She didn’t get up, but she did wave a hand that way and call out “Let them in, Eir. Thank you.”

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed in the room. It shook the floor underneath Toni, making her snicker into her pillow a little. That was Thor’s heavy tread, of that she had no doubt. Loki’s movements were softer and much quieter. He gave little warning before he was beside her.

Toni gave a low, happy hum when Loki’s hand stroked her hair back from her face. “Welcome back, Blueberry. I’m guessing things went well?”

“They went quite well, actually,” Loki said softly. He tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and then cupped the side of her head. “I’ll tell you more about it when you wake.”

Without opening her eyes, she couldn’t quite tell what look was on his face. But now that he was here – and clearly safe and not worried, or else he would’ve been a whole lot tenser, and the air would’ve been crackling with restrained power – her exhaustion was getting the better of her. Worry had kept Toni from drifting off to sleep before. Now, nothing was holding her back. Loki was here, and he was safe, and so were the rest of them. That was all that mattered.

“She wouldn’t let me heal her.” Sigyn’s voice was a low murmur that came from somewhere above Toni’s head.

Loki gave a soft laugh. “No, she wouldn’t. Thank you for looking after her, Sigyn. I’ll make sure she’s well cared for.”

“See that you do. I like this one, Loki.” There was sound that suggested that Sigyn had risen, and then her voice came closer, right above them. “Don’t mess this up.”

After that, Sigyn was gone, and something warm and very much _Loki_ was moving underneath Toni. It felt like a blanket was suddenly between her and the floor. Cracking open one eye, she saw a haze of green in front of her – Loki’s seidr, lifting her up off the ground. It brought her up enough for Loki to get his arms in and turn her so that he could cradle her in his arms. Once he had hold of her, he let his seidr fade away. Toni hummed and laid her head against his shoulder. “That’s a neat trick.”

Through half-closed eyes, she could see his smile. “It’s been useful a time or two.”

The world moved as Loki rose, still holding her to him. Toni didn’t bother trying to fight the sleepy feeling. It was kind of nice, knowing that she didn’t have to. That she didn’t need to try and keep her game face on, or be strong, or pretend like she wasn’t tired. Loki didn’t care about stuff like that. He didn’t need her to act stronger than she felt. He didn’t expect her to always be _on_. Instead, she’d noticed that Loki actually seemed to like these moments where she let him care for her. It wasn’t always easy, and it went against the grain, but she’d been getting better at it.

Over her head, she heard Loki telling Thor “Take your woman to bed, brother. They both need their rest. I’ll make sure to wake us all before the feast.”

“There’s a feast?” Toni asked, curling a little more into Loki’s chest.

The two of them began to move. Towards the bedchambers, she was assuming. “Oh, yes. Angry though he may be at us sneaking under his nose, Odin cannot deny we quite saved the day. We remove the Aether from Jane, successfully contained it within a stone, found it a safe keeper that not even Odin can disapprove of, and prevented the Dark Elves from attacking Asgard and killing the Allmother. As Mother so kindly pointed out to him, those are the feats of heroes, not the actions of boys in need of a scolding.” The movement of their bodies shifted – the end of the staircase, Toni was guessing. “A feast will be thrown in our honor tonight. What you would call a _ball_ , I believe.”

Oh, hell. That didn’t sound fun at all. Spending the evening rubbing elbows with the elite of Asgard? Too many of whom she’d heard had little to no respect for Loki. The idea of it was enough to have Toni sighing heavily.

Loki’s hold on her shifted, and Toni felt herself being laid down on an extremely soft bed. Even as hands were reaching to undo her shorts and tug them down her legs, she was turning her body into the bed and making indecently happy sounds that were likely just a touch too pornographic. “Oh, now this is more like it. Why can’t the rest of the stuff here be this comfortable? Those chairs out there were _terrible_.”

“I’m assuming that’s why you were lying on the floor?” Loki asked dryly. His hands were on her feet, sliding off her socks and then tracing up over her ankles, up her calves. There was a feeling like warm water washing over her that followed after his touch. In its wake, the aches were gone, fading away like they were nothing.

Toni could’ve protested. After all, Loki hadn’t asked before using his magic on her, and she was pretty damn huge about consent. Especially magical consent. But it felt so _good_. The best she could manage was: “You’re supposed to ask first, Dasher.”

The magic paused on her calf and then resumed its work. “My apologies. This was… habit, I suppose you’d say. It was rarely _asked_ for and often simply _expected_ after one of my brother’s adventures.”

“That’s cause the people here are assholes,” Toni told the pillow she was now happily smothering herself with. Losing some of the aches in her muscles was actually helping her brain wake up a little bit more. Toni felt less like she was going to pass out and more like the type of relaxation that came after a nice hot bath, or a long massage.

She heard Loki chuckle behind her. A soft kiss was pressed against the back of her knee. “I have often thought so myself.”

“I’m an asshole too, but at least I got better.” An idea occurred to her, and she smirked into her pillow. “How much asshole-ness do you think I could get away with, being a visiting _Princess_ and all?”

Loki’s hands were up to her thighs now, taking care of the large bruise that sat on the outside of her left one. He bent again to press another kiss there, and she felt his chuckle against her skin. “Oh, quite a bit, I’m sure. They have no way of knowing what’s standard behavior for your kind or not. Much it if, they may simply chalk up to you being human. A quirk of the species, as you will.”

That could definitely come in handy. Toni hummed to herself as her mind started to spin away on all the different things she might be able to get away with tonight. Suddenly, the ball didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

She was drawn from her thoughts when the hands on her thighs moved from the outside to the inside, and they were gently yet firmly being nudged apart. The warm, wet swipe of Loki’s tongue sent an almost instant shiver down her spine. He ended his lick right at the edge of her panties, nuzzling there for a moment as he murmured “As gorgeous as you are when planning mischief, I’ve been wanting to get my mouth on you for hours now. You were quite stunning out on that beach today.”

“You weren’t too bad yourself, gorgeous.”

When Loki laughed again and shifted down to better settle between her legs, his teeth catching on the edge of her panties, any thought about the ball that night or whatever mischief she might get up to was banished from Toni’s brain, right along with pretty much any other thought at all. She gave herself up to the talented ministrations of her love and pushed aside any worries for later. Right now, this was exactly what she needed, and she wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of that.


	15. Chapter 15

Getting ready for an Asgardian ball was a lot like getting ready for a Midgardian ball. Of course, Toni had always been on the man’s side of things, which meant tuxes and fittings and things like that, but she’d heard plenty from Pepper and other women about what it could be like from their side. Hearing wasn’t the same as _experiencing_ , though.

One hour after Loki woke Toni up, she found herself sitting on a stool in her bedchambers while a room full of servants moved around her.

Frigga had descended upon them with a whole slew of servants when Toni was barely alert and only had one cup of coffee under her belt. Loki and Thor both had been kicked out – to Toni’s eternal gratitude and amusement, Loki had taken the bag with her Drat in it with him, promising to put it in an appropriate pen in his chambers until she could come for it later – and then Frigga had started directing the servants like troops, assigning a group to Jane and a group to Toni. After that, things were sort of a whirlwind. One that Jane seemed quite flustered by if the protests that Toni kept hearing were anything to go by.

Toni was a bit more used to being attended by other people. Balls, charity events, press conferences, those had all required that Tony present a certain image. Ever since she’d been old enough to start attending, she’d been groomed for each one by professionals. Even when she was older and was more capable of doing things the way they needed to be done, she’d still had professionals come in for certain parts of it.

This wasn’t that much different. Though, it was the first time that Toni had been shuffled through a bath with people there to help scrub her and to wash her hair. Luckily for her, she wasn’t exactly shy. Once done in there, they’d brought her out to her room and, wrapped in a robe, she’d been perched on a stool while one woman dried her hair, and another started to apply a spicy smelling lotion to her freshly shaved skin.

“You know, it’s a good thing I’ve always been considered pretty shameless,” Toni said casually, watching the woman who was rubbing at her foot. “Otherwise it’d be a bit weird to be felt up by a bunch of people I don’t know.”

From her spot by Toni’s wardrobe, Frigga chuckled. “It does take a bit of getting used to, I imagine. Do you not have anyone to attend to you like this at home?”

“Oh good God, no. I’d go insane! No offense.” The last part Toni added as she looked at the women all around her. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all that you guys are doing here. It’s kind of like a spa day, only a whole lot nicer and more comfortable. All of you are absolutely amazing at this. I’m just… typically not the type of person to dress up like this anymore. Just once in a while. Most of the time, I’m a jeans and t-shirt type of person.”

Sigyn, who was laying on Toni’s bed, let out a husky laugh. “I’ll admit, I’m slightly tempted to see what Asgard would say if they saw you in your earlier outfit.”

“What, Asgard got something about showing a little leg?” Toni asked, casting an amused look over her shoulder.

“Any higher and your backside would’ve been on clear view.”

The scandalized looks that some of the ladies around her were making, plus the low noise from Frigga, were just too much. Toni tried to keep her laughter in and ended up snorting instead. She turned around to better give Sigyn a fake glare. “You little shit.”

“Girls,” Frigga said, low and dry. She turned around from Toni’s wardrobe and put her hands on her hips, giving them the glare of mothers everywhere that was scarily effective. “You two are just as bad as my boys. Perhaps we can save our bickering for later, and focus instead on finding something appropriate for our guests to wear tonight?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the two girls said together.

There was a faint twitch to Frigga’s lips that showed the smile that wanted to break free. She was too good to let it, though. Instead, she kept her stern expression and nodded at them. “That’s better.”

This might be the best time to voice what Toni had been thinking about. She’d been contemplating something ever since she’d woken up, and the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Not just for the stir it would cause, but for the reaction it might get from someone else. “Actually, Frigga, if you don’t mind, I kind of had an idea of what I might like, and I was hoping that you might, well… that you might be able to help me with it.”

“I’ll do my best. What do you need, my dear?” Frigga asked. Her stern look melted away to one of open affection and even a hint of concern, which left Toni floored. She couldn’t remember even her own mother looking at her like that.

Emotion clogged Toni’s throat for a moment. She had to drop her gaze down briefly and clear her throat a few times before she could get her voice to work. As she did, she missed the sad look that briefly crossed Frigga’s face. When Toni finally looked up again, that expression was gone, smoothed away with the skill of a queen. Toni never knew any better, and just smiled almost shyly up at the mother of the man that Toni loved. “I was hoping to make a bit of a statement tonight…” Drawing in a deep breath, Toni squared her shoulders and, ignoring the women attending her, told Frigga what it was she wanted to do.

By the time she was done, the women around her seemed to be ducking their faces down or hiding their surprise, but Sigyn and Frigga both were smiling brightly. “I believe I have just the thing,” Frigga said, tapping a finger against her chin. “You wait here while I go send someone to fetch it.”

Without waiting for Toni’s reply, Frigga was gone, sweeping down the stairs.

Sigyn waited until Frigga was gone and then got up off the bed. She came over, surprising Toni completely by bending down and wrapping her in a tight hug. One that Toni returned after only a small hesitation.

“If this doesn’t help him to wise up, let me know, and I’ll beat some sense into him for you,” Sigyn murmured in her ear. Then she was pulling back and planting a kiss on Toni’s brightly blushing cheek. The gesture left Toni feeling like she’d just received a very important blessing.

* * *

Not even thirty minutes later Toni found herself standing in front of a mirror dressed in an outfit that was somehow exactly what Toni had been hoping for. She had no idea how Frigga had done it, but she had, returning with a dress draped over one arm and actually ushering out all the other ladies to send them to attend to Jane – Sigyn included. Then she’d helped Toni herself, getting her into the dress and helping her get all the laces properly done.

The end result was _amazing._ Toni knew that her outfit made quite the statement. It was exactly the one she wanted to make, too.

The dress Frigga had found for her was a strapless number. It was a beautiful shade of dark green on the bodice and a lighter shade for the rest. Just below her breasts was a black band edged in gold chain that worked like a belt. From there, the rest of the dress flowed in what Toni was pretty sure she remembered Pepper calling an empire waist, something she’d always said she tried not to wear because of her height. Most all of the dress was some shade of green or another, but the trim and the accessories were gold. At the top of the bodice and the bottom hem of the dress, there was a lovely braided pattern of gold thread. Though there were no actual straps to hold the dress up, there were things that were attached like sleeves but were actually simple bands in gold that rested on her biceps.

The gown was simple, yet elegant, and done in a style that was from Midgard while also carrying a flare of Asgard to it. They weren’t hiding who Toni was, or where she came from, but they were also making a statement about her willingness to work with Asgard. To share with them.

Not to mention the statement her color choice was making.

Toni smiled a little at her reflection while she watched Frigga begin to gather her hair back for her. Another bit of gold there – a hard band to hold her hair in place. Only a little was left to dangle on either side in loose ringlets. When Frigga laid a golden chain over Tony’s head like a crown, she attached small clips to those ringlets, keeping them separate and also keeping the jewelry in place. The chain itself was decorated with five upside-down triangles that each carried a green jewel at the end. They matched the gold and green earrings she was wearing as well.

“You look stunning,” Frigga told her.

Smiling growing, Toni turned her head this way and that, admiring how she looked. Green wasn’t usually her color, but she had to admit, it didn’t look bad on her. “Not too much?”

“He’ll love it.” Smoothing her hands over the sides of the dress, Frigga moved to stand in front of Toni, checking her as she went. “I had this dress mostly made once for him, long ago. Back when he was less ashamed to publicly appear in other forms. When he stopped allowing himself to be her, I put this away. Now, I see why.”

There was so much about that statement that Toni wanted to comment on. Loki’s ability to change form wasn’t strange to Toni; she just hadn’t realized that he’d once made regular appearances as Lady Loki. In the back of her mind, she made a mental note to see if she could encourage that at home. She already wanted desperately to find a way to encourage him to pull out his Jotun form. Toni wanted to see that _so much_.

What would he think seeing her like this? Earlier, the idea had seemed like a good one. A way of shouting her allegiance and true alliance to everyone here in Asgard. To shove it in their faces – and in Odin’s, too. Let them all remember that it was _Loki_ she was allied with. He was the one who held her loyalty. And her heart.

That last thought was a part of this that Toni was trying not to think on. There was a small part inside of her, however, that wanted desperately for Loki to see her like this and to realize what it really meant. What she was offering here. If he didn’t, well, Toni could always play it off as her original plan – shoving things in Asgard’s face. But if Loki took the hidden meaning in it?

As terrified as Toni was of her feelings, and as little time as she’d had here to process them, the thought of Loki realizing them was equally terrifying, and something she found herself wanting almost more than anything else. She wanted him to look at her and _see_. To know, just as he’d seemed to know so much else about her.

Months ago, just the idea of being intimate with someone would’ve sent her running. Not sex-intimate; that part was _easy_. It was the rest of it that was scary. Yet… she and Loki already had that, didn’t they? They were friends, even if sometimes the idea made Toni’s stomach clench uncomfortably. They were lovers. And Toni’s heart had figured out long before her head just how much more he’d started to become. Now that she knew… she couldn’t just hold herself back. She had to see. She had to _know_. Like Rhodey said, Toni didn’t do things halfway.

Warm hands cupped Toni’s cheeks. She let her head be tilted up, blinking away the long thoughts that had started to drag her down.

Frigga was smiling down at her with that warm, motherly look once more on her face. “He will love it, as he loves you.”

“He doesn’t… I mean, he hasn’t…”

“He does not have to say it, not to me. A mother knows these things. I look at my boys, and I see the love they’ve found, and I’m glad for it. My heart is happy to know that they will both be loved and looked after by two exceptional women.”

Well, now, _hell_. Toni had no idea what to do in the face of such happy and earnest praise, and she felt tears building in the backs of her eyes, threatening to push forward and embarrass her. Because of that, she pulled herself back from Frigga’s hand and tried to paste on a smile, shaky at the edges though it may be. “Well, we ah, we better not keep those sons of yours waiting, am I right?”

Frigga smiled at her in a way that said she knew what Toni was doing, yet she didn’t call her on it. She just patted her arm and gestured her towards the stairs. “You’re quite right. I need to go join my husband before the festivities begin. I look forward to seeing you there, my daughter.”

Without another word, Frigga vanished, those last words ringing through the room.

Toni stared at the space she’d just been standing in, mouth hanging open. It took a lot of effort to force her mouth to close, and then to gather up what little composure she felt she had left. This was going to be a big night – a _huge_ night. Not just for the potential it held for her and Loki, but for her and Midgard and their alliance in the upcoming war. Tonight, Toni was representing her _planet_ , and as much fun as she was going to have in pissing off assholes, she also knew she had to play the diplomat. She couldn’t spend the entire evening worrying like some teenage girl at prom.

Firmly reminding herself of that helped Toni to gather herself. She pulled on her shields – the very first armor she’d ever built, started as a child and perfected through life.

By the time Toni descended the stairs from her chambers, she was the picture of calm and control. Head up, shoulders back, devilish smirk firmly in place. Here, for the first time since she’d gone back in time, she was in full _Tony Stark_ mode. It was the only way she was going to make it through the night.

* * *

Jane was a vision. As Toni had been dressed in Loki’s colors, Jane’s clothes definitely spoke to Thor’s colors. The dress was simple, yet beautiful. It was red and strapless, a sheath that clung to all Jane’s curves until loosening a little about midthigh, and it was long enough to touch the ground, while a train trailed just an inch or so behind her. A red cloth had been draped over one shoulder, and the front of it was belted on with a rather ornate gold belt that was easily a hand wide. The back of that cloth draped down behind her almost like a cape.

On each wrist, she wore gold vambraces and a heavy gold… well, Toni thought it looked like a shoulder pad, for lack of a better word. Whatever it was, it matched the belt in style, and it sat on her shoulder over the cloth draped there. She had a matching piece helping to hold her hair up as well.

All in all, she was beautiful, and Toni didn’t hesitate to tell her that. “Jane, you are _gorgeous_. Thor’s not gonna know what hit him when you walk out there.”

Blush brought a pretty color to Jane’s cheeks. She waved a hand, clearly dismissing Toni’s words. “Me? What about _you_?”

Toni flashed her a bright grin and then did a small twirl just to make the skirt spin. “I know, right? Frigga outdid herself.” She moved easily forward on the golden heels she’d pulled on, sacrificing comfort for a bit more height, and looped her arm through Jane’s. “We’re gonna be the belles of the ball.”

It wasn’t hard to see just how nervous Jane was. This wasn’t her usual scene. She was a scientist, not a playgirl or a socialite, and Toni was willing to bet this was going to be the fanciest gathering Jane had ever attended. Patting lightly at her friend’s arm, Toni resolved to make sure that she kept an eye on Jane tonight. For now, she tried to offer her some reassurance as they made their way towards the door. “You’ll do fine. Don’t worry too much. I know you want to make a good impression on everyone, but, let’s face it. There’s only one person in there you have to worry about impressing, and he loves the hell out of you even when you’re in baggy sweaters, nerd glasses, and on a three-day science binge. If that’s not true love, I don’t know what is.”

Jane laughed lightly, her nerves just slightly less audible. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I just…”

“You’re nervous,” Toni supplied. “Which is completely natural. Everyone gets nervous their first time. But you’ll be fine.” With that, Toni opened the door and tugged Jane out with her, smiling when she caught sight of Eir there. “Well look who’s here! Don’t you ever get a chance to sleep?” The idea came out without thought, but once it clicked, Toni’s smile wiped away and her brow furrowed down. She went from playful to staring up at Eir, trying to read her face. “You do get to sleep, right? You’re not just stuck out here guarding our door all day and night? Because if that’s the case, let me tell you, I’ve got some serious words for whoever’s in charge of _that_ plan…”

Laughing, Jane tugged on Toni and actually reached out to cover her mouth. “Breathe, Toni! Give her a chance to answer.”

Eir looked a little grateful for Jane’s intervention. But there was also something sort of surprised, and maybe even a bit warm in her eyes when she looked back at Toni. “I’ve had a chance to sleep, Lady Toni. I took my rest earlier, and Guardsman Alo stood watch. He’ll take over again in the middle of the night, after you’ve returned, and I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Oh. Good. Well, I’m glad you got a chance to rest. I hear it’s important,” Toni said, once her mouth was uncovered. Still, she watched Eir suspiciously. “You get time off though, right? I mean, it can’t be fun just being stuck standing around my door all day long.”

Eir straightened up to her full height and lifted her chin just the slightest bit. Not looking down on Toni, no. She lifted it with _pride_. “It’s an honor to stand guard on your door, Lady Toni.” Then, without giving Toni time to figure out how on earth she was supposed to respond to that, Eir’s lips curved a little, and she nodded her head down the hall. “May I escort you down to the feast? The Royal Family should be arriving soon, and all guests should make sure to be there before they arrive.”

“That’d be wonderful, thank you,” Jane said graciously. “I’m afraid I get a bit lost in here.”

“It can be a bit confusing at first. Right this way, Lady Toni, Lady Jane.”

As Eir led them to the great hall where this whole feast/ball thing was going to be held, Toni used the time to try and not only reassure Jane but offer her advice. Small things like how to respond to certain people, how to watch the people around her at the meal to better figure out how to eat her own food or small things like “It’s always good to just sip at your drink. Make it last as long as possible. If you don’t, people are going to try to keep bringing you more, and you’ll find yourself drunk before you know it and wondering how the hell you got there.”

“Trust me, I know better than to get drunk at a party.” Jane grimaced, and she leaned in a bit more against Toni. Then it was like something occurred to her because her eyes went wide, and she turned towards Toni so fast she almost fell. “Oh my God, I just realized…with you… with what happened to you… this is your first party like, well, like _this_ , right?” She gestured at Toni’s body with her free hand.

Toni arched one eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Oh my god.” Slumping a little, Jane rubbed her hand over her eyes. “Crap. _Crap_. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner.”

“Think of what sooner?”

“Toni…” Jane looked at her again, and there were shadows in her eyes this time. The kind of shadows that Toni hadn’t ever really expected to see in Jane’s face. Lowering her voice, she leaned in close, clearly trying to make their words private. It wasn’t easy to do while they were walking, not with their height difference. “You’ve only ever been to a party on the male side of things. Going to a party as a girl, it’s… it’s different. There are things you have to watch out for that guys don’t ever have to.”

In quiet whispers, Jane tried to walk Toni through some of the things she’d have to watch out for. A lot of them involved things like keeping track of her drink, never leaving it unattended, or never going anywhere alone – not even to the bathroom.

She stopped when Toni tilted her head thoughtfully and said: “I do all that anyway?” At the confused look that got her, Toni hurried to elaborate. “I went from being a rich, genius kid, to a rich, genius adult. That kind of life brings a lot of enemies. Any of the things you mentioned… those are quick ways to get kidnapped.” _Or killed,_ she didn’t add on.

For some reason, that just made Jane looked sad, though Toni didn’t understand why.

They were cut off when they turned around another corner, and a set of ornate doors came into view ahead of them. Eir moved a step back, going behind them instead of behind them, and Toni took her cue from her. She straightened her spine, drew back her shoulders, and slipped back into the skin of _Toni Stark_.

This time, Jane was there to see the transformation, and she was a bit stunned at what she witnessed. She could actually see it as Toni changed. Her shoulders went back, pushing out her chest and giving her more confidence in her walk, and a slight sway hit her hips. She wasn’t walking or even shuffling along or bouncing like she occasionally did. She was _strutting_. Every inch of her body screamed confidence that Jane hadn’t ever seen in just plain _Arianna Strange_. There was no bright eyes and wide, crinkling grin. Instead, one corner of Toni’s mouth had curved up, and her lips took on a smirk with just a hint of a pout to it, while her eyes grew a bit heavier in a look that was both coolly amused and cocky. This – this was the persona that Jane had always seen from Tony Stark. The one that she’d thought was the _real_ Tony Stark. It might be being done on a female form right now instead of the male that Jane was used to, but there was no doubt in her mind that this was Stark right here.

It made her ache a little, to realize just how much of a mask this truly was, and how much of a mask it must be for the male Tony Stark back home. Did anyone ever get to see beyond it? Did they ever get the chance to see the real person inside? Or had it taken becoming Arianna Strange, becoming someone entirely new, just for Toni to finally be able to be herself?

Toni was blissfully unaware of her friend’s train of thought. All her focus was on the doors ahead of her, and the guards who were already moving to open them. Toni didn’t stop, didn’t falter, just moved forward with all the assurance that the doors _would_ open for her.

The party seemed to already be going when the two women made their way into the Great Hall. Eyes were on them from the instant they came in, Toni knew, yet she didn’t falter. She just took in the room with a practiced eye and kept her smile in place.

She had to admit, the party itself was rather beautiful. It was a step above the galas that Toni had attended back home. Even the royal ones.

The Great Hall was _massive_. Jesus, most of Asgard had to be here! The setup, however, was at least familiar to Toni. At the far end of the hall, there was one massive table set up that was very clearly for the Royal Family. There were two thrones in the center – the King and Queen. On either side of them were chairs set up for their children, or any guests lucky enough to be invited to dine with them. Branching out from either end of the table, the tables for the rest of the guests were spread out along the sides of the room, making a large U-shape, ending down at the other end of the hall, which was open to what appeared to be an outside garden area.

In the center of that U was where everyone was currently mingling. There would be the talking, and dancing, Toni knew. At least, if this party were like any other party she’d attended. There were breaks in either leg of the U – every three tables, it appeared – to either make it easier for guests and servants to pass through, or to separate people a little. Probably both.

The door that Toni and Jane had come in was about halfway down the left side of the U, and they only had to go around one table to be able to make their way onto the floor.

Those nearby were watching and no doubt judging everything about her. Her clothes, her body, her looks, her reactions to things. Toni wasn’t going to give them any ammunition. She made her way into the room with all the regal bearing of the false title of Princess that Loki had given her. At her side, she could feel that Jane wasn’t having as easy of a time, clearly nervous about all the eyes that turned their way. Toni smiled reassuringly up at her friend. “Relax, Jane,” Toni pitched her voice low, trying to make it for Jane’s ears only. “Don’t let them see how nervous you are. For the most part, just ignore them.”

“Oh, sure, that’s all,” Jane said dryly. Yet she seemed to be pushing down her nerves somewhat. Enough to manage a more real smile, at least. Toni counted that as a win.

It was strange for Toni, being at a party where no one really knew her. Where she was the new person, strange and exotic, that people were curious about and yet cautious in approaching. Usually, everyone knew who Toni was. It made it hard to figure out what to do. However, Toni was saved from that when she spotted a familiar figure in the crowd. The smile on Toni’s lips became a bit more real as she started to make her way forward toward the one person she actually knew here.

Sigyn had taken her time away from them to get herself ready for this. She looked beautiful, too, and Toni didn’t hesitate to tell her that once she reached her. “Sigyn, my dear, you look utterly ravishing tonight.”

A broad smile warmed Sigyn’s face and only made her look even more beautiful. Her dress was done in brown and gold, and had a wrapped look to it like she’d taken the material and wrapped it around herself and over her shoulder. It was kind of like Jane’s, only her other shoulder had a thin strap as well, and it was all belted together with a light brown, wide belt of the same material. The skirt ended up in three layers, each one progressively longer, until the last one ended by her toes, and in each layer the material got lighter in color until it was a gold so soft it was like sand. Over it all was a green cape. The right side of it was lifted and tossed over her left shoulder, and a golden broach helped to hold it in place.

The two women met for a quick hug, drawing back after to smile at one another. “I had to try and look my best, didn’t I? I didn’t need to look frumpy standing next to you. The last thing we need is more whispers about how Loki went for a prettier, younger woman. Those are already going to be bad enough as it is.”

Toni tipped her head back and let out a husky laugh that drew more than a few looks. Her eyes were twinkling with devilment when she grinned up at Sigyn. “You, frumpy? Don’t be ridiculous.” A step forward put Toni right at Sigyn’s side. It allowed her to easily snake a hand in and link her and Sigyn’s arms together – with Toni’s other arm reaching out to snag Jane as well, she wasn’t going to just leave her behind. When she had both of them, Toni tilted her head to wink up at Sigyn. “I’m going to be the center of jealousy for every man in this room, with two lovely ladies on my arms. Why don’t we walk around and rub their noses in it while you introduce me to some of these people?”

“No wonder Loki likes you so much, you little imp,” Sigyn teased her. But she started moving at the same time, drawing Toni and Jane off into the crowd.

* * *

Toni and Jane were taken from person to person, group to group, as Sigyn introduced them to people that she knew. Some were quick introductions, names and greetings and not much more, and then they were moving on to the next. Others, they stopped and talked for a bit. More often than not it seemed to be the commoners that Toni found herself drawn into conversation with. She wasn’t all that interested in speaking with the nobles yet. The quickest way to learn about a people was through the poor, not the rich.

It was also a quick way to get to the heart of a people. Which was something that Jane needed to be able to do if she was ever going to go anywhere in her relationship with Thor. If that progressed, she’d one day be Queen here, and for that, she needed to understand the people and have them understand her. They didn’t have to like her, but her life would be a lot easier if they did.

Though Toni knew that Jane wasn’t thinking about things like marriage yet, or what it might mean for her – at least not before tonight – it didn’t stop Toni from nudging her along and slowly but surely getting her to speak with the people around them. If she could get it started, Jane would be able to continue on her own through the night. She was just naturally friendly enough for it to work.

While Jane might not have noticed what Toni was doing, Sigyn _did_. But the only thing she said on it was to lean in at one point and murmur “You’re quite good at this.”

They’d only been socializing for about twenty minutes when a stir through the crowd drew Toni’s attention up and away from a group of _seiðkonur_ that Sigyn had introduced them to. One quick look was all it took for Toni to see what had grabbed everyone’s attention. At the sight of the two men strolling into the room, Toni swore she felt for a moment like the rest of the world just vanished around her. All she could look at was her lover.

Loki looked absolutely gorgeous in his fine Asgardian leathers. He was in the new outfit that he’d seemed to have made during his time with her. He wasn’t hiding from the rest of Asgard; he was letting them see this, letting them see the tribute to his heritage in every inch of him. The last time Toni had seen him in this, he hadn’t worn a cape with it, but this time there was one. A long green cape that trailed after him as he walked through the crowd with all the grace of a jungle cat.

Only absently did Toni remember to tell the others “If you’ll excuse me, please.” Then she was breaking away from them to make her way through the crowd, never seeing the smiles that Jane and Sigyn wore.

This was the moment of truth here. The moment that Toni had been waiting for. Yet, her earlier nerves were nowhere in sight. She watched as Loki discreetly scanned the crowd even while exchanging mostly polite greetings with those around him.

She was halfway to him when Loki’s eyes finally found her. Toni saw it as they passed her, and then as they doubled back and snapped right to her. Loki actually froze in place, mouth open in the middle of whatever he’d been saying. Toni could see the heat that leapt into his eyes from across the room. Loki’s jaw snapped shut, and he was turning away from whoever he’d been talking to, all of his focus on her.

Any nerves that she’d felt before were gone now. Toni’s body relaxed, and her smile became a whole lot more real. She barely noticed as the crowd parted for them. Toni only had eyes for the god who moved to meet her halfway.

Loki had regained his composure somewhat when the two reached one another. Most of him was composed, save for his eyes. Those were sparking with seidr and heat in a familiar twist that seemed brighter than normal. Loki reached out to her, and Toni extended her hand, letting him draw it up to press a kiss against her knuckles. “Princess Toni.” His breath ghosted across her skin, and Toni had to fight back a shiver. She couldn’t look away from his eyes. They held her trapped as he looked at her above her hand, letting his breath continue to tickle her skin for a moment. “You are… an absolute vision tonight, my sweet.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Toni said. She drew her hand back as Loki rose, though neither one of them fully let go of the other. Toni enjoyed tangling their fingers together.

“I apologize for not being able to escort you in here. I hope you weren’t on your own for too terribly long.”

Toni shrugged one shoulder. “Oh, we were fine. I found Sigyn when I came in, and she’s been showing Jane and me around.” Then, because Toni couldn’t quite resist, she leaned in a little closer and, tipping her head up, bit at her bottom lip. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out “I’m glad you’re here now, though.”

It was worth saying the rather embarrassing words to watch the way that Loki’s seidr sparked even brighter in his eyes. Maybe… maybe she wasn’t the only one in this boat here. She hadn’t dared hope before, yet seeing that look in Loki’s eyes, seeing the way he was watching her, Toni felt a spark of it start to grow in her chest. The nerves that had vanished before came back stronger than ever; butterflies, dancing through her stomach. It was so stupid and wonderful, and all the things that Toni had swore she was never going to feel for someone. Not after how badly she’d been burned in the past. Yet here, now, looking up at him, that feeling grew and grew until Toni knew it was shining out of her.

There was no telling what either one of them might’ve said or done next. Their moment was cut short when the doors opened again, and the King and Queen walked in.

All eyes turned up towards them, and Toni felt a spurt of disappointment. Worry for a potential moment lost. Only, maybe it wasn’t…

Loki’s arm slid around her waist while they turned to face the head of the room. Toni snuck a look up at him, and she found Loki watching her from behind long lashes, a lazy and content smirk on his lips. That same heat was still there. Seeing it, Toni relaxed down into his hold. It was easy to tuck her head against his shoulder and let him hold her there in front of everyone. _Let them see_ , she thought gleefully. _Let them think what they want. I’ve got the best one of them._

* * *

The meal itself wasn’t long, and it was quite easy to get through. It seemed that food was something that stood on little ceremony in Asgard. Once Odin and Frigga arrived, it worked as a call for everyone to find their seats, and soon enough the whole of the hall was sitting down.

Toni and Jane were escorted up to the main table by their partners. Loki sat beside Frigga, and he drew out the chair beside him for Toni. No one else sat up there with them, and Toni had a feeling there was a message to Asgard in that, one that Frigga was quite pleased with. She was beaming at Loki when he pulled out Toni’s chair for her.

The meal started with a speech. Toni zoned most of it out, really. It was a lot of praise for the two Princes and their _heroic deeds_ against the Dark Elves. Odin mostly left the ladies out, though he did add in that “…were aided by one of Midgard’s warriors, Princess Stark of Midgard, and her companion, the Lady Jane of Midgard…” but that was it. That was all the recognition that they got for their parts in things. Sigyn wasn’t even mentioned.

When Toni caught Loki’s eye as they sat, the eye roll he gave her summed up both their thoughts on it perfectly.

Toni was surprised to discover that conversation wasn’t big while eating. Most everyone was quiet as the food was consumed, save for the band that continued to play.

No, it wasn’t until the food was over that people began to talk again. Toni honestly kind of expected another speech from Odin or Frigga. Instead, Odin simply stood and raised his hands, gathering the attention of the room, and then said: “Let us enjoy our night, and celebrate in honor of my sons!” Then he raised his glass and called “To Thor and Loki!”

“To Thor and Loki!” the rest of the room echoed.

And that seemed to be the signal for the party to start.

Some people stayed at the tables while some began to move back onto the floor. The music got louder, and there were a few couples already dancing. It wasn’t a surprise when Loki rose next to her, and then held out his hand. “Would you care to come dance with me, Lady Toni?”

“Why, Prince Loki, how forward,” Toni said teasingly. “I’d love to.” She laid her hand in his and grinned as he helped her to her feet.

Toni paid no real attention to the people who cleared a path for them as they made their way to the dance floor. Again, that was something she was used to. Toni had no issue being the center of attention at these kinds of things. In some ways, she thrived on it. She was also perfectly capable of ignoring it if she so wished.

“You know, I’m not really familiar with Asgardian dance styles,” Toni warned him when they reached the floor.

Loki flashed her a devilish grin and yanked her in close, almost causing her to lose her feet. “I’ve been told I’m quite good at leading.”

“I’ve never had any reason to complain.”

She was rewarded with a razor-sharp grin that made her stomach twist in happy, warm ways. Then Loki’s arm was around her, and he caught her other hand with his, drawing her against him and then starting to move.

Toni caught on quickly. The dance was a lot like a waltz, only with an extra step here and an extra twirl there. She fell easily into the movements; it wasn’t hard when she had such a good partner. Loki really was good at leading. He drew them both through the moves with an easy that left Toni feeling like she was dancing on a cloud. They twisted and spun together at a speed that left her breathless and smiling. Nothing and no one else mattered as the two wove their way around the room. There were others on the floor, but they didn’t matter. What mattered was the feel of Loki pressed up against her, his strong hand holding hers, and the love in her heart that Toni swore was ready to burst right out of her.

When the song ended, and they finally came to a stop, polite applause rang out around them. Toni gave in to her urges and stretched up on her toes to give Loki the kiss she’d wanted to give him since he’d first come in the room. Maybe it wasn’t appropriate, but she didn’t care. Judging by the way he instantly responded, _he_ didn’t care, either.

Their kiss broke when it began to border on inappropriate for public. Judging by the look in Loki’s eyes, Toni was going to enjoy herself when they got back to their rooms after this.

To Toni’s surprise – and her annoyance, because seriously, how many people were going to keep interrupting them?! – they were interrupted by Thor’s booming laugh just seconds before he was clapping the both of them on their backs with enough force to almost knock them into each other. “If you are done putting on a show, brother, perhaps the Lady Toni might allow me the pleasure of the next dance,” Thor said happily.

Toni remembered clearly watching Thor try and dance with people at Avengers gatherings in her own timeline. She scrambled for a polite way to decline, only to be saved by Loki who had no such worries about politeness. He rolled his eyes at his older brother. “I rather doubt she’s in the mood to have her feet trampled by a giant oaf.”

Instead of being offended by it, the insult only made Thor laugh again, and Toni marveled once more at how the sound seemed to echo in this place. No wonder Thor was always so loud. He was used to the acoustics of this massive place. “You can’t keep her all to yourself, brother. There are many curious about Midgardian women. Fandral’s already absconded with my Lady Jane for a dance.”

“Then more the fool you for leaving her in the hands of one such as he,” Loki shot back.

Still, Thor’s words proved true. Dancing seemed to be a big thing to Asgardians. Either that or Toni was that much of a novelty that they all wanted a turn at her. For the most part, she was able to politely decline or to insist that she needed a rest. Sometimes, Loki sensed her tensing before she even had a chance to answer, and he was smoothly turning them down for her. But other times she wasn’t able to get away with saying no. She danced with Volstagg, and with Hogun, two good friends of Thor’s. And she danced with a fellow named Sol, who was bright and kind and very charming, and whom Loki spent the entire time glaring at.

There were countless introductions, too. People that Toni knew she’d have a hard time remembering the names of.

What she would always remember, though, were the attitudes of people. The clear snubs when they spoke to Loki or spoke around him to greet her. And the way that some people watched and laughed when they noted just how close she was leaning to him, how clear a statement she was making not only with her clothes but with her body language.

Then there were the assholes who liked to pick on her, too. “Are all of Midgard’s warriors as tiny as you?” Volstagg had asked her, clearly amused at just how small she was in comparison to him.

“Honey, there’s _no one_ like me,” she’d replied, winking at him.

If people thought they could insult her and that she’d just smile and take it, they quickly learned they had another thing coming. Toni could be just as sharp-tongued as the next person, and she had no hesitation in flaying people who dared think they were somehow better than her or Loki. And each time she defended him, each time she clearly chose his side over someone else’s, she saw him puff up a little more.

Toni wasn’t sure how long they’d been dancing and mingling when Loki finally broke them away. They’d moved from the richer folks down to the far end of the room where some of the more ‘common folk’ had been hanging out. There, Toni was pleased to find people who accepted Loki a whole lot more, and who were definitely more enjoyable to talk with. She’d just met a blacksmith who’d worn quite a bit of his own work, and he and Toni had spent almost fifteen minutes straight discussing working with metal.

“Did you see the intricacies of his work?” Toni asked Loki as he led her outside. She barely paid attention where they were going, still too caught up in things. “The kind of _detail_ he put on there, it’s _amazing_. Do you think if I went down there and bugged at him, he’d show me how he does some of it? I mean, I’ve got some skill myself, don’t get me wrong, but there’s always room for improvement.”

Loki chuckled lightly and patted her hand where it was tucked into the curve of his arm. “I’m quite sure he’d show you everything, should you so wish. He was quite enamored with you.”

“ _Pffft_.” Toni waved her free hand dismissively. Then she had to reach down to catch up her skirt, bracing on Loki’s arm as they went down the stairs that led towards the gardens. There were a few people out here, though nowhere near as much as were inside. The people out here seemed to want privacy more than they wanted drinking and dancing.

“My dear, you charmed a good half of Asgard tonight.”

Toni shot him an incredulous look. “How? By not being afraid to treat them like idiots?”

Amusement tugged at the corners of Loki’s mouth and warmed his smirk into something gentler. The smile she was so familiar with from home; the one that he no longer had to hide as they finally made it inside the gardens where tall bushes and trees gave them a semblance of privacy. “By being you. You were sharp and bold, and unafraid to speak your mind. Yet you spoke to those of lower station in the same way, like you were on equal footing. More than that, you complimented them and treated them as peers. That’s far more respect than most of noble blood show them.”

“Well, then the nobles are idiots,” Toni said succinctly.

The low sound of Loki’s laughter curled around them. “Indeed.”

They came to a curve in the path they were following, and when Toni looked up, she saw that it opened up around them, taking them into a little private area that was full of those gorgeous holiday flowers. Toni sucked in a sharp breath of surprise, and instantly her nose was filled with the scents of holiday spices. They were all around her, in all sorts of colors. Toni broke away from Loki to step out and slowly spin so that she could take them all in. “Oh, would you look at this. I want a place just like this at home.” Her whole face was lit up when she turned back towards Loki. “Lokes, this is _beautiful_.”

His mouth was curved up into a smirk, and his eyes… the seidr was back in his eyes. Eyes that stayed locked right on her. “Yes, it is.”

The hope that Toni had felt earlier when their eyes had first met in the Great Hall was now back again. It was stronger than ever, and here, in this special little place that she knew Loki had brought her to just because he’d noticed her love of these flowers – one of the many things he noticed about her – Toni found she wasn’t afraid of it. Not in the least it. She let the love she felt for her mischief god fill her heart in a way she’d been so sure would never happen.

Loki’s smirk slowly slipped away, and the light in his eyes changed, dimming only a little. “Toni?”

There was a hint of something in Loki’s tone; something that sounded far too much like pleading for Toni’s taste. She was all for begging, but in the bedroom, not like this. Loki… Loki shouldn’t ever have to beg her, not for what she could see he was asking for.

All the fears that Toni had felt, all her worries and insecurities, those were reflected back at her now on Loki’s face. She wasn’t the only one to have been feeling them.

Loki was the type of person to need the words to be able to believe what was in front of him. He needed what no one else had ever been willing to offer, and he needed someone who was strong enough to give it to him.

Seeing all of that, Toni let out a shaky breath. She was going to have to be the one to take the first step here. The one to put herself out on the ledge. For all her own hurts, he’d had just as much in his life, if not more considering how long that life was. Loki needed to see that someone was willing to put themselves out there for him. That he was worth doing it for.

That didn’t make it any easier, though. “Okay,” Toni said softly, trying to gather her courage. “Okay.” When she looked up at him again, there was determination written in every inch of her expression. To Loki’s clear shock, Toni – after a quick look around – caught hold of the edges of his jacket and used them as handles to drag him over to the edge of the garden. There, she kicked off her shoes and climbed up onto the stone bench there, never once letting go of him.

Sadly, it put Toni only a few inches higher than Loki. He barely had to tilt his head back to look up at her. Still, it was better than having him crane his neck down. This way Toni was at least sure that she had his full and undivided attention right on her. “All right then. Listen up, Frosty, cause I want no doubt about this to crop up later, you hear me?” Toni didn’t pause, didn’t wait for him to answer, didn’t give herself time to chicken out of this. She just brought her hands up from his coat to his face and then held him there as she stared down at him and gave him the words he needed to hear. “I am completely and utterly head over heels for you, you little shit. Like… stupid in love with you. I know we went into this with the plan of being fuck-buddies, and I was all for that, I really was. I have no idea when that changed, and really, I don’t care. All I know is that I love every single annoying, amazing, frustrating inch of you.”

Loki’s eyes had gone wide at the start of Toni’s speech. He was staring up at her with a look of such _awe_ it made Toni’s heart ache.

She gentled her voice a little, and then bent down, leaning her forehead against his. “I love the way you make me laugh, and how you always seem to know what I need even when _I_ don’t. I love how mischievous you are, and how I’ve got to always be on the lookout for some prank or another. I love how you aren’t afraid to argue with me, but you have my back no matter what. I love those stupid hipster clothes you wear, and the way you make my coffee just the way I like it, and even that high and mighty tone you get when you’re being extra snooty. I love _you_ , Loki, and I really, really hope it’s not just one-sided, or this whole thing is gonna be very awkward.”

Her words seemed to have knocked the breath right out of him. Loki’s hands were on her hips, and they might’ve started there to brace her, but Toni had a feeling that they were there now just as much to anchor him as anything else.

“Toni,” he breathed her name out, soft as a prayer, and then he was tilting up and kissing her with the kind of force that left her breathless. By the time he finally pulled away, she was panting, and her mind was a nice, happy haze. Still, that didn’t prevent her from hearing his next words. “I love you too, Anthony Stark. Though I didn’t plan to do so. You infuriate me, exasperate me, and beguile me all at the same time. You are a contradiction of things – a complicated puzzle, and I will happily spend the rest of my life trying to figure out. You warm me, and challenge me, and accept me for who I am. How could I do anything less than love you?”

Toni’s grin was wide enough to make her face hurt. Holding on tightly to him, she leaned in for another kiss and then kept on leaning. Loki, bless his heart, took the hint and immediately slid his hands from her hips to her thighs, drawing her up so that she was straddling his waist, as close to him as they could get out here. “Show me,” Toni said when she broke their kiss, breathing the words against his lips. “Right here, right now.” With all these beautiful holiday flowers around them.

There wasn’t even a token protest. With a growl, Loki drew her in closer, and he claimed her mouth once more.

Toni didn’t notice the shield of seidr that went up around them. All she knew was the body against hers, the hands that cradled her as she was lowered to the ground, and the mouth that set about doing exactly what she’d demanded.


	16. Chapter 16

There was no way Toni could stop smiling the next morning at breakfast. It didn’t help matters that they were having a private, intimate breakfast, just her, Loki, Thor, and Jane. There was no one there that Toni really had to hide from. She was free to lounge in her pajamas on the now comfortable couch – Loki had conjured up more comfortable furniture for them without even testing the old ones out. He’d just replaced them with something similar, only a whole lot more comfortable, and then dragged Toni down to curl up in his lap.

She was seated on his lap, legs stretched out on top of his, and one of his arms around her to help her keep balance. It left Loki eating with one hand from the tray that sat on the table between their couch and the couch that Jane and Thor were on. Those two were closely cuddled together, with Jane tucked under Thor’s arm, and radiating a little of their own morning-after glow.

Toni didn’t care. She was perfectly content to sit on Loki’s lap with her little Drat in her lap and just enjoy the great start to the day.

The little guln was more than happy to be with Toni. It’d latched on to her almost as much as she’d latched on to it. Not once had it tried to get away. In fact, it was making its squeaky purring sound again as Toni fed it some of the scrap metal that Loki had brought for her.

“I can’t believe you’re thinking of bringing that thing home,” Jane said, shaking her head as she watched Toni coo at it. Still, she smiled at her friend. The image in front of her was one that Jane knew so very few people got to see. Toni’s hair was a mess of tangled curls around her head, she had on no makeup, no masks, and was lounging there in what looked like just Loki’s tunic. The sleeves were pushed up to her elbows, the ties around the neck weren’t done up – showing off the love-bites on her neck and collar quite clearly – and it was long enough that it almost worked like a dress for her.

Toni looked up and gave Jane one of her rare grins, bright and open. “Of course I’m bringing my little Gooma home! What, did you think I’d just _leave him_ here?” Toni covered his ears and shot a mock glare at Thor before leaning in to stage-whisper: “They _kill them_ around here!”

Thor looked up from his food and gave Toni an incredulous look. He wasn’t used to seeing her like this, either. Nor had the other versions of them ever been close enough for him to have seen _Tony_ like this. The slowly building friendship between them… it was nice. It meant that Thor felt comfortable doing things like asking her: “You named it… Gooma?”

“Yep!” Toni pulled her hands from Gooma’s ears and scratched behind them in apology.

“Are you sure it’s safe to take an alien creature to earth and introduce it to our ecosystem?” Jane asked. “There’s a chance that it could cause some serious damage to earth by what it brings with it, or that being on earth might actually make it ill.”

This time it wasn’t Toni who answered. Loki answered for her, taking advantage of the moment to feed Toni a berry that looked kind of like a strawberry but tasted like the bastard child of a blueberry and a peach. “He’ll be quite all right. When I had him yesterday, I cast the necessary spells to ensure his continued good health. Nothing on Midgard will harm him, and as he eats only metal, I foresee no trouble with bringing him to Midgard. No more than is caused by myself or by Thor.”

His response had Toni grinning around her food. “See? All good!”

The look the other couple shared made it clear that they still didn’t understand why Toni was so enamored by Gooma. Not that Toni was ever planning on telling them. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to put into words just why she adored the fluffy mess of a rodent, or why it struck her as so damn cute. Honestly, she’d expected jokes about her being a girl and liking fluffy things, but those hadn’t come. Which was good, really, because Toni would’ve set whoever dared say it on their ass. It wouldn’t have mattered if she was male; she still would’ve fallen in love with this scruffy, runt of a Drat. (She refused to call it a guln, thank you very much, that was a stupid name.)

Toni picked up another piece of scrap metal and held it in the palm of her hand so that Gooma could get to it easier. She smiled down at him he leaned in to eat. “We’ll get you nice and trained up,” Toni murmured, scratching at his ears. “Make sure you learn how to stay away from Mama’s machines. There’s lots of metal where I come from, so you won’t ever go hungry, don’t you worry about that.”

“The way you talk to that thing is just a little bit disturbing,” Jane pointed out.

Shrugging, Toni mostly ignored her comment. It wasn’t the first time someone had said almost that exact sentence to her. Usually, it was regarding the way she talked to the bots or some other piece of machinery she was working on. She was used to being a little weird in the eyes of others. Made life more interesting, anyway.

Loki distracted her by feeding her another berry. Toni happily took the bite, nipping at his finger when he pulled back and enjoying the way it made his eyes flash. Despite the crap that they’d gone through while here and the parts of her that were still cringing over the loss of life, there was a slight feeling in the air this morning that had Toni relaxing in a way she hadn’t expected. The bad guy was defeated, Frigga was safe, the stone had been taken care of – they’d done everything they’d needed to, and in the process, Toni had made new friends, and solidified her friendship with others.

Not having to lie to Jane anymore felt surprisingly _good_. Toni hadn’t realized just how much it was bothering her to not be honest with her until the truth was out between them.

The group enjoyed the rest of their breakfast together with nothing more than simple, easy teasing. It wasn’t until breakfast was done, and it was time to get dressed and ready to go, that anything disturbed them. However, the one to interrupt them was the last person that Toni had been expecting.

A knock on the door was answered by Toni calling out “Come in!” as she was standing up from Loki’s lap. She didn’t really think about her state of undress when she did it. When Jane let out a scandalized “Toni!” she only barely paid attention to it. Her attention was instead on the opening door, and the woman that stepped inside.

Toni was surprised to see that it was Eir coming in. Or, well, coming in alone. She didn’t step inside to announce someone else, or with anyone on her heels. Instead, she stepped into the room, and then deliberately shut the door behind her.

A look back at Loki showed that he was equally surprised by this. He covered it up quickly and rose to stand at Toni’s side, one hand moving to settle on the small of her back. “Guardsman Eir, what can we do for you?” he asked.

There was a brief flash of something that might’ve been indecision that was there and gone again in Eir’s eyes. Then she was straightening herself up to her full height. She stood perfectly at attention in front of them, one hand resting on her sword and her other hand coming up to press over her heart. “Prince Loki, Princess Toni, if I might beg a moment of your time, please.”

“Of course,” Toni said immediately. She looked back at Loki, who was already making some sort of gesture to Thor, who then started to gather Jane up with him as he rose. Seeing that they were being taken care of, Toni turned her smile back to Eir and made a _come in_ movement with her hand. “Come on in and have a seat. We’ve still got some tea and pastries left if you’d like some? I don’t know what they put in these things, but I tell you, I could get fat living here.”

Loki’s hand slid off her back and over to cup her hip, smoothly drawing her in against his side. “Nonsense. Don’t listen to her, Eir, she’s ridiculous. However, she is right on some things. Please, have a seat if you wish.”

The door to Jane’s room signaled the absence of the other two. Eir’s eyes flicked over that way and then back to Toni and Loki. “No thank you, my Prince. This should only take a moment.”

The arm that Loki had around Toni tugged her backward until she had no choice but to go with him and sit back down on the couch. Loki sat in the corner, one leg crossing over the other, and Toni easily tucked in against his side and mimicked his pose. She drew Gooma down into her lap, petting his head to keep him quiet. Then she looked up at the woman who’d been guarding her door while she was here – the only one who’d shown any true respect to Loki. “What can we do for you, Eir?”

Eir lifted her chin a little and visibly braced herself. Her voice was steady and firm when she said: “I would like to request to join you in Midgard when you return.”

That – that wasn’t at all what Toni had been expecting. Her eyebrows shot up, and she knew her expression was one of complete surprise. When she snuck a look over at Loki, he had his own mask in place, showing nothing more than one arched eyebrow.

Their reaction didn’t deter Eir in the least. Before they could even begin to ask questions, she was hurrying on to offer them an explanation.

“I know it seems strange, but I’ve given this a lot of thought. You need someone to watch over you on Midgard, and you know I’ve always been loyal to you, my Prince. I never have, nor will I ever, betray you.”

“That’s not in question here, Eir,” Loki said immediately. “I know your loyalty. What I question is why you think we need someone to watch us.”

Eir’s response surprised them once more. “The Queen brought the suggestion to me. She worries that the recent battle against the Elves will have brought the Lady Toni to the attention of the realms, and the ball will have solidified her place with you. While sending a full armed guard to Midgard with you both would keep you safe, it would also draw the kind of attention that neither of you need. Especially considering what the Queen said about Lady Toni’s need for secrecy.” She paused, looking to Toni there for confirmation.

The implications of what Eir was saying were rolling round and round in Toni’s mind. Still, she had enough presence to actually answer the woman’s look, not end up ignoring it. “Back on Earth, only a few people know who I am. To the rest of them, I’m Arianna Strange, and that’s who I need to stay. Letting people know I’m Toni Stark would only put me more at risk.”

“Allow me to come with you,” Eir’s voice was earnest; full of a strong belief that gave her words extra weight. “You will find none more loyal than me, my Prince. None more dedicated to keeping you and the Princess safe. Between your skills and my own, we can keep the two of you safe from any who think of attacking a Prince or Princess of Asgard.”

They weren’t wrong to be concerned. Toni knew how politics worked. Anyone who was an enemy of Asgard, or of Loki, would try coming after them if they thought they could get away with it. The two of them had made a very public statement last night at the ball. Toni had left no doubt in anyone’s mind just who she was there with, and who she was loyal to. She’d snubbed the assholes of Asgard, just as she’d wanted, but in the process, she’d painted a target on herself.

When Toni looked to Loki, she saw the same realization in his eyes. The risk to himself wasn’t something that Loki would worry about, she knew. But the risk to her? That was something that Loki wouldn’t want to take any chances with.

With her head twisted towards her partner, there was no way for Eir to see it as Toni rolled her eyes, or as her lips curved into a fond smile. “Yeah?” she asked quietly.

“It would be helpful, to have someone there when I cannot,” Loki murmured.

Pointing out that she was more than capable of handling herself probably wasn’t the best idea. Toni knew that he was aware of that. Just like she knew it didn’t matter. If there were anything he could do to keep her safe, he would do it. If she hadn’t known that before last night, she definitely knew it now. The way that Loki was looking at her, the love in his eyes that she either hadn’t seen before or had chosen not to see – all of that made it clear that Loki would do whatever he thought necessary to keep her safe. Toni could either choose to be offended by it or just go with it and save the battle for when it was something more important than this.

Toni was still smiling when she turned back towards Eir. “We’d love to have you come with us, Eir. If that’s really what you want to do.”

The way the woman practically lit up made it clear that, yes, this was very much something she wanted to do. Eir put her fist over her head and gave what Toni was coming to realize was a formal bow of respect. “Thank you, Your Highnesses. You won’t regret this. I give you my word, I will do everything in my power to keep you both safe. On my life, and on my honor.”

“Your honor and your life are your own, Eir,” Loki said. “We will be glad for your presence on Midgard, both as a guard and as a friend.”

* * *

And so their group gained a new member. One who, it seemed, was already packed and ready to go. It would seem that Frigga had warned her of their need to leave soon – and she wasn’t wrong. They’d already been gone from Earth long enough. Even though Loki assured Toni that Earth had fared okay while they were gone and that the Elves had never made it there, she wasn’t going to relax until she got back and had a chance to talk to Tony herself.

Luckily, having a mage for a partner meant that things like packing weren’t really a necessity. Gooma was put into a travel case and tucked away in what Loki assured her was a very safe pocket dimension where he could rest until they were settled in at home. Loki also transported her clothes to his closet and assured her that he’d set up something once they were home so that her closet there would be able to access his _here_. The idea of that fascinated Toni. Considering they had to ride the rainbow bridge to get from Earth to here, how was it possible for him to connect their wardrobes like that? And could it be used as a sort of dimensional doorway to allow her to pass through as well? Or for someone from Asgard to come to Earth through her closet?

Loki actually laughed at her when she asked that. They were walking with their things towards the Bifrost, a contingency of guards behind them, and Thor and Jane in front of them. More than a few of them were looking at Loki with surprise as he laughed so openly.

Warm green eyes were twinkling with mirth when he looked down at her. “I assure you, darling, no one is going to be stepping through your closet.”

Well, that was reassuring. Toni shook her hair out of her face and tipped her head up, wishing briefly that she hadn’t worn her suit out here. Or that, at least, she’d been able to _fly_ it. The damn thing was heavy. It didn’t deter her from her questions, though. “Okay, okay, so no one’s going to come busting into our room that we don’t want there. That’s awesome. But, if you wanted to, could you make it an actual doorway?

Loki tilted his head a little, and he made that low _hmm_ sound that he always did when he started to think about something. It was a sound she’d heard a lot back in her workshop when they’d toss ideas back and forth with one another. “Perhaps,” Loki finally said. His words were slow, and his eyes distant, most of his focus internal as he worked through the problem. “It would be tricky, to tune it so that it was stable, without risk of shutting down at the wrong moment. I’d also have to make sure that not just anyone could use it. Perhaps, if keyed to certain objects…”

The spark of a new idea took off in Loki’s mind. Toni could see it, see the way his eyes went a bit distant, see the small lines forming between his eyebrows that meant that he was deep in thought. It made her smile. Curling her fingers a little more securely in his elbow, she kept hold of him and continued walking, leading him along. In this area, she and Loki were a hell of a lot alike. Once an idea took hold, there was no forcing it to let go. He’d snap out of it soon enough.

When they reached the Bifrost site, both Odin and Frigga were already there waiting for them. Toni had wondered why she hadn’t seen them so far. _Guess they gotta do the whole royal-send-off bit. Yaaay_. The dry sarcasm of her mental voice had her smirking just a bit. These kinds of things were always a pain in the ass, but it wasn’t the first time she’d done it, and it wasn’t going to be the last. Especially considering who she’d hooked up with. _Might as well start getting used to it._

The group came together at the entrance to the Bifrost, or whatever these people called it. Toni stood with Loki to one side, and Thor to the other, with Jane on Thor’s other side. The four stood shoulder to shoulder before the King and Queen.

“My sons,” Odin said, surprising Toni with the smile that touched his lips. She wasn’t sure that she’d actually seen him _smile_ so far. It changed him; made him look _younger_. Almost…approachable. “Though the reason for your visit may not have been the best, it’s been good to see you home. The both of you.”

Tension had Loki standing straight and stiff. It didn’t show – he was too good for that. But Toni felt it, even through the gauntlet she wore. It made her want to offer him some kind of solace. Something to remind him that he wasn’t alone.

Meanwhile, Thor smiled broadly at his father. “It’s been a pleasure to be here, Father.”

“I hope that you’ll come back again soon.” There was a brief pause, and Odin’s eye went to Jane and then to Toni. To those that didn’t know how to listen, the reluctance in his voice wouldn’t have been obvious as he added on “All of you.”

So, he was more comfortable with them than he’d been before, but still not happy about his sons choosing to be with mortal women. Toni let her smile grow into a smirk that most would’ve expected from the trickster at her side, not from her. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll be back plenty when things get a little closer, Your Majesty. I look forward to being able to get a better look around on my next visit. There’s so much of Asgard I’m eager to see.”

The little twitch near Odin’s eyepatch was more pleasing than it probably should’ve been.

While Odin might’ve sounded formal, though less so than any previous encounter, Frigga seemed to have no such qualms. She went forward and hugged Jane and Thor both, and then came over to hug Toni as well. “It’s been a pleasure having you here,” she said, arms open as she pulled Toni in close. Being hugged by her, it was like, well… Toni didn’t have words for it. All she could do was lean in and take the embrace that she was being given. If she squeezed back a little tighter than normal, it wasn’t like Frigga would notice. Toni’s strength was nothing next to these people.

When Frigga pulled back, she gave a small twist of her hand much like Toni had seen Loki do, and an ornate red and green box appeared there. It was decorated in gold, as everything around here was, but the rest and green marked it as clearly Toni’s. “Please, take this gift as a welcome to our family,” Frigga said warmly. She pressed the item into Toni’s hands, and Toni managed to keep from wincing at being handed something.

The box wasn’t that heavy, but it was about the size of some of the hat boxes that Pepper used to bring home. What was Frigga giving her that came in a box this size? A bit unsure, Toni cradled it in her hands as she looked back up at Frigga. Though she hadn’t bowed to Odin before, she gave a small bow now to Frigga. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“What’s in there is yours, as it was always meant to be,” Frigga said. She smiled and reached up to cup Toni’s cheek. “I leave it with you now, for when you are ready. Until then, this is a gift for you, and you alone.”

With that last cryptic remark, she let go of Toni and move to embrace Loki instead. Whatever words those two shared were low and private, kept just between the two of them. They couldn’t have been bad, though, because Loki was smiling when they pulled apart. He bent and pressed a kiss to his mother’s forehead, and Toni turned away, not wanting to infringe on the privacy of their moment.

As she did, she found Odin and Thor talking, and Jane standing back a bit more by Eir instead of by her boyfriend. But beyond them, Toni caught sight of someone else. Someone who was smiling at her, and who gestured her forward with one finger. Hesitating for just a second, Toni turned and set her gift down by Loki’s feet, looking up to make sure he knew to watch over it. He gave her a small nod while still listening to whatever Frigga was saying.

That taken care of, Toni broke away from the crowd to make her way towards the middle of the room where Heimdall stood up on his platform. Being on the platform made him even taller than before, which, okay, _not fair_. Pausing at the bottom, Toni put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. “It’s really not fair that you’re all such giants up here. What do they feed you guys to make you all so tall?”

“What you lack in height on the outside, you more than make up for on the inside, Your Highness.”

“Oooh, nicely done.” Toni put her hands on her hips and grinned up at him. “Picked up a few things while watching over everyone, have you?”

Heimdall let his gaze slide over towards the others – towards Loki. “And missed a few others.”

Those words could’ve been taken two ways. With what Toni had heard about Heimdall from Loki, she would’ve thought that those words would be said in a negative way. Maybe even accusatory. But… that wasn’t what she heard. What Toni heard was a faint hint of something that might be _regret_. When he looked back at her, it showed for one brief moment in his eyes as well, until he blinked and it was gone. “I have a gift for you as well, Your Highness,” he said abruptly. From his pocket, he withdrew a piece of parchment, folded over. Instead of handing it to her, he knelt down and laid it on the ground at his feet, his eyes on her the entire time.

Toni’s curiosity had always been strong. There was no way she could reign it in now. Even as Heimdall was straightening back up, Toni was moving forward, reaching for the paper. “What’s this?”

“There is a person that might interest you. Before your home was shielded, I believe you mentioned his name as someone you wished to find.” As he straightened up, his gaze turned serious, and he lowered his voice, somehow making it low enough that Toni had a feeling she was the only one to hear it. “You will find him in that location, though I don’t know how long he’ll be there for. They spoke of moving him within a few of your Midgardian months.”

The folded paper revealed a set of coordinates. Toni stared down at it, her mind racing as she tried to think of who… oh.

 _Oh_.

Toni’s eyes were wide when she looked back up at him. If this was who she thought it was… “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

For a moment, Toni just stared at him, debating. Then, before she could convince herself not to, she activated her repulsors and flew up the steps, dropping down to land right in front of him. Heimdall’s face was a picture of surprise in the seconds before Toni flung her arms around him in a quick hug. Before he could say or really even do anything, Toni drew back and flashed him a bright smile as she went up into the air again. “I hope we get a chance to actually talk the next time I come here!”

“Only your home is shielded,” Heimdall said, smiling up at her. “If you step onto your patio and speak my name, I will hear you.”

She lifted one hand and gave him a quick salute. Then she was turning, twisting her suit so she could do a quick circle around the dome, bringing her right back to Loki’s side.

The guards were watching her cautiously, and Odin’s face was shuttered, while Thor actually rolled his eyes at her – something that Toni felt oddly proud of. But Frigga, Jane, and Loki were all watching her with amusement, not in the least bit bothered by her antics. “Are you ready, my dear?” Loki asked once she was on the ground at his side.

Toni flashed him a bright grin. “Yep!”

She enjoyed the way that Loki managed to make an eyeroll look both exasperated and fond all at the same time.

With her hand once more tucked into the curve of Loki’s arm, her present tucked under her other arm, and Thor and Jane beside her, Toni let her partner lead her forward. As fun as this trip had been, and as amazing as some of it had turned out to be, Toni was more than happy to be going home. She was ready to go back to her house, and her workshop, and to have JARVIS always accessible. She was just ready to be _home_ , and to be there with the man she loved.

* * *

Heimdall had them set down in the same place they’d left from. Once there, they had another round of goodbyes, only these ones came with the promises of phone calls and texts. Toni took some time while hugging Jane to make sure that she knew she had permission to tell Darcy the truth, so long as Darcy could keep quiet about it.

Eventually, they separated, and Loki gathered Toni and Eir to him and teleported them home.

They landed in the middle of the living room. As soon as they did, Toni’s suit started to bleed away, and she relaxed in a way she hadn’t managed while up in Asgard. Some of the tension left her shoulders, and though she couldn’t see it, a few lines faded from her face. This house – this had become home. It was home far more than even the Tower had ever been. Here, Toni had been able to be herself, even if she was living under a fake name. Here, she’d gotten to know Loki, and become so much closer to him. Now they were back, and things were different in an amazing way. Now, this wasn’t just her home, one that she shared with a lover. This was _their_ home.

Loki’s hand on her back drew Toni out of her thoughts. “I’m going to take Eir and show her around, get her familiar with the layout of the home and its current security measures.”

“Right.” Toni looked beyond Loki’s shoulder to where Eir stood, her eyes already scanning and assessing the room. Being reminded of their newest guest also reminded Toni of something else. “We need to set up a room for her, too. J, buddy, we need to set up a room for our new guest. Can you make sure she has everything she needs?”

“Of course, Ma’am,” JARVIS answered smoothly. When Eir startled, eyes going wide at the strange, disembodied voice in the air, JARVIS took pity on her and explained what Toni hadn’t. “Greetings, ma’am. My name is JARVIS, and I’m the AI in charge of this home. Anything you need, please, feel free to ask, and I’ll do what I can to assist you. I’m also in charge of security. Am I correct in assuming you’re here as a guard?”

The fact that JARVIS was ‘assuming’ anything at all made Toni grin. She loved the signs that JARVIS was growing and thinking. It always made her so proud of him.

As Eir, JARVIS, and Loki started to devolve in a security talk, Toni took advantage of the moment to slip away from them and down towards her bedroom. She brought her gift with her. This might be the best time to check it out. Judging by the way Frigga had worded things, this was probably best looked at alone, at least at first. She could call Loki down if she had any questions.

Toni was extremely curious what it was that Frigga had put in this box. What did she feel the need to gift to Toni? She’d been distracted by so many other things that she hadn’t really had time to debate about it. Now – now her mind was turning over all the different possibilities for what it could be.

She hurried into the bedroom and straight over to her bed. There, she dumped the box down, and then eagerly hurried to open it.

What she found when she took the lid off had her giving a soft “ _Oh._ ”

Setting the lid down on the bed, Toni reached in and carefully pulled out the gown that she’d worn to the ball. The one that had proudly declared her as Loki’s for all of Asgard to see. It was a beautiful dress and Toni was more than happy to see it. How Frigga had gotten it, she had no idea. Loki had vanished it off of her once they were back in their chambers last night.

She reached in and lifted the dress up by the shoulders. This was an extravagant gift; one that she definitely appreciated. But… Frigga had made this sound like it was something more than just a dress. _‘What’s in there is yours, as it was always meant to be._ ’ That’s what she said. This dress, it’d originally been meant for Loki. What did Frigga mean, that it was always meant to be _hers_?

Toni pulled the dress out and carefully laid it down on the bed, curious. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, cause this dress is gorgeous. But, why did she make a big deal out of giving me a dress?”

“Perhaps you should look at what else is in the box, Ma’am,” JARVIS said softly.

Far too used to him responding to her words – which was half the reason she spoke her thoughts out loud the way she did, honestly – Toni turned back to the box. This time, Toni didn’t make a sound. Her breath caught in her throat, and her whole body felt like it was frozen. With wide eyes, she stared at the items that had been hidden underneath the dress.

There were two things there, set neatly on what looked like a velvet cloth. A note…

…and an apple.

“Holy shit,” she breathed out softly. “J, are you seeing this? Am _I_ seeing this?”

“Indeed, Ma’am. Might I suggest you read the note?”

Toni’s hands shook as she reached forward. For a second her hand froze there, hovering next to the apple and it’s shiny golden skin. Then she pushed her fingers forward and closed them around the note.

There were just a few words scrawled inside in a rather gorgeous, flowing script.

_For whenever you’re ready, your life awaits you. Welcome to the family, my daughter – F_

The note fell from Toni’s fingers. She barely paid it any attention; instead, she stared at the apple sitting in the bottom of that box. _Not just any apple – a golden apple. The golden apple that gives the Æsir their godhood_. Frigga had sent Toni home with a dress and an apple that offered _immortality_.

 _A chance to live forever. To be with the person I love for as long as we both live, instead of just a few years._ The idea had Toni’s heart beating a little harder. Frigga was giving Toni a choice here. The option to truly be a part of their family – to be a real partner to Loki. One that wouldn’t leave him in what had to seem like the blink of an eye to him. That is, assuming that they both survived the coming war. Which this apple would actually give her a better chance of surviving the war.

There were so many pros and cons behind a decision like this. As much as Toni wanted to snatch that apple up and start eating, another part of her wanted to cover it back up and hide it away. “I don’t… I don’t know what to do.”

“The note implies this is for whenever you’re ready, Ma’am,” JARVIS said gently. “It doesn’t say you need to make a decision now. Perhaps you should put it away and take the time to think about what it is you want to do.”

That… that was a good idea. She could put it away and think about it later. _Way later_. There were plenty of other things that Toni needed to focus on first. She needed to call and check in with Tony and make sure everything was going well here on earth, and she needed to have JARVIS start running scans on the coordinates that Heimdall had given them. If he was right, they had someone there that needed to be rescued, and Toni wasn’t keen on leaving him there any longer than she had to.

For now, Toni put the dress back inside the box, and she closed it up and sealed it away in the floor safe inside her closet. It could stay there until she’d had time to think about it. Until she was a bit more sure about her life, and what she wanted, and whether or not Loki might actually want something like this from her.

Pushing those thoughts away, Toni chose to focus instead on the one thing she knew she could do something about. “J, fire up the workshop for me, would you? I’ve got some things to do with the armor, and I’ve got a set of coordinates I need you to take a look at. It looks like we’re going to be making another trip here pretty soon and I want all the intel before we make this one…”

Toni continued to talk as she left the room, immersing herself in the next project and using that to push all her other thoughts to the back of her mind. Later, she would think about the golden apple and what it might mean for her future, and whether or not she was ready for a chance at eternity.

 


End file.
